The final bell rings, symbolizing the end of the day as students rush to pack up their things and go home. Yves on the other hand packs her things with a jittery heart, counting the seconds till her date? Could she even call it a date?

“Hey, Yves!”

“Huh??” Yves looks up from her bag and sees Jinsoul beaming at her with a toothy grin.

“The council members are planning to go get dessert at this new place downtown. You coming?”

“Ah…No. I’ll pass, maybe another day but thank you for asking” Yves replies with a smile.

Jinsoul nods, “I’ll let the others know. See you tomorrow, Yves!”

And just like that, the blonde girl was out the door leaving Yves alone once again. Yves looks at the clock and realizes that Hana was still waiting and throws the rest of her stuff into her bag, zipping it and shouldering it. She dashes out of the classroom, making her way down the steps and by the time, she reaches the bottom level, she was already panting – tired from running all the way from the fifth floor. She pushes open the entrance doors and spots Hana standing beside a sleek black sedan from where she stood at the top of the stairs.

Hana was frowning while looking at her phone screen but the frown vanishes as soon as her eyes found Yves’s. A smile follows as she waves at Yves who returns with her own smile, threading down the steps carefully and taking long strides towards Hana. Yves watches as the other girl pockets her phone but the smile on Hana’s face never falters.

“Sorry, I’m late” Yves mumbles shyly.

Hana shakes her head. “It’s alright. I just arrived too. No rush – I would have waited no matter the duration.”

A well-groomed man clad in a black tuxedo materializes behind them, opening the car door as Hana steps aside, allowing Yves to enter the car first – Hana slides in after her and the door is shut tightly. The man from earlier jumps into the driver’s seat and starts the car as he awaits further instructions.

“So, where would you like to go? I’ll be your genie for the day” Hana mentions from beside Yves.

Yves puffs her cheeks, unable to decide on a place to go. She hasn’t been in Seoul for long and she didn’t know if the place she chooses would be to Hana’s liking. While Yves silently debates about things to do, she is unaware of Hana’s unwavering gaze upon her. Her smile widens as she takes note of Yves’s puffy cheeks, puckered lips and the slight crease in between the brunette’s temples.

Cute.

“If you can’t think of anything, would you like my help?”

Yves breaks her inner thoughts and turns to look at Hana. “…That would be great.”

Hana hums before asking, “Are you hungry?”

“Yes.”

“Are you craving for anything in particular?”

It doesn’t take much for Yves to answer this time. “Tteokbokki.”

Hana chuckles. “Tteokbokki, it is. I’m thinking something spicy. What about you?”

Yves’s eyes sparkles at the sound of spicy tteokbokki as she nods excitedly. Hana then informs her driver of the address of the restaurant as the car finally departs from the almost empty parking lot. Silence. The only source of sound came from the rumbling of the air conditioning as the two passengers in the back were seated quietly, no words exchanged since they left the school’s parking lot.

Thankfully, the restaurant was close by as the car comes to a stop in front of the restaurant, saving them from the total silence. The driver opens Yves’s door, allowing her to hop out of the car as she stares at the restaurant in awe. It wasn’t anything special, just a small corner lot stall which came as a surprise to Yves.

“Something wrong?”

The voice startles Yves who jumps a little as Hana pops up beside Yves.

"N..No. It’s nothing!” Yves stutters. “I just didn’t expect someone like you to come here to eat.”

“Were you expecting fancy, high-end places?” Hana questions but there wasn’t any hint of anger in her voice - just curiosity. “Usually, I would but not for tteokbokki. Old school tteokbokki tastes so much better and this halmeoni serves the best in the whole country. Come on!”

Hana grabs Yves’s wrist and gently tugs her towards the shop. She pushes open the door with one hand as the small bell rings above their head. Yves notices there wasn’t a lot of people in the store so they were free to choose any random tables. Hana settles on a table in the corner as she pulls a chair for Yves to sit. Yves mutters a small thanks as Hana occupies the chair opposite her.

An old halmeoni walks out of the kitchen, wiping her hands against the yellowish, sauce stained apron which was tied around her waist as she takes note of her young customers. Hana brightens up at the sight of the halmeoni, greeting her energetically.

“Hello, Halmeoni! I’m here and I brought a friend!”

The halmeoni claps her hands together excitedly, “Omo! Hana-ah! I haven’t seen you in so long! How have you been?”

Hana laughs happily, “I’m doing fine! I’m sorry I haven’t visited you. I have been a bit busy. What about you, halmeoni? Are you doing alright?”

“Of course! I’m still as strong as an ox! Don’t be silly! I’m happy you’re here!”

Yves looks between the halmeoni and Hana, ajar as she watches their interaction. They were speaking so animatedly; Yves was having trouble believing this was the same Hana from school - not that she meant it in any malicious way, it's just new and Yves realizes just how little she knows about her newfound crush. 

“So, who is beautiful friend you have here?”

The attention was now transferred upon her as she blinks in surprise. Hana smiles fondly, replying, “A special friend.”

The halmeoni nods, “I’m glad you brought a friend. You’re always alone which made me sad.”

Hana chuckles lowly as Yves’s head snaps in Hana’s direction. She’s never brought anyone here before? She was the first? But why? Hana turns her head as their eyes meets in the middle, only breaking when the halmeoni interrupts them.

“So, are you having the usual today?”

“Yes, we will” Hana answers as her eyes moves back to look at Yves. “What else would you like to add?”

“I’m fine with whatever you get” Yves replies.

“Then, we’re fine with the regular for now. We’ll add on later” Hana says as the halmeoni leaves to prepare their food.

Hana opens the wooden box, bringing out a few plies of tissue and two sets of utensils. She then sets them down onto the table. She then stands up, walking to the refrigerator to grab a metal jug of water before returning to her seat and pours them each a cup.

“I can feel you staring. What is it, Yves?” Hana asks, setting the jug down.

Yves clears , taking a sip of the water. “You and the owner seem very close. Have you been coming here often?”

Hana leans back against the wall, folding her arms across her chest, “I suppose. I’ve been coming here since I was super young. It used to be my comfort place and the halmeoni looks favorably upon me. She treats me like her own grandchild.”

“Am I the first person you’ve brought here?” Yves blurts out.

Hana snorts. “Is that why you were staring at me weirdly earlier?”

Yves blushes as she averts her eyes. Was she staring weirdly? Was she??

“To answer your question, yes, Miss Yves. You are the first person I’ve brought here. You should be extra glad because I’m sharing this amazing tteokbokki place with you. I’ve never told anyone about this place” Hana says with a playful glint in her eyes.

Yves giggles, “I am. Thank you very much for your generosity, Miss Kang.”

Hana bursts into laughter with Yves joining in soon after. In that moment, they were normal teens – stripped of any pressure, status and problems – enjoying their time together. They chatted a little more before getting interrupted by as Hana refers to – Yoo Halmeoni. The elderly woman smiles as she lowers the black pan filled with tteokbokki onto the portable gas stove, switching it on. She retreats into the back, bringing an assortment of sides – seasoned fried dumplings, tempura and corndogs.

Hana and Yves thanks the halmeoni who tells them to eat well before disappearing behind the curtains. One bite of the tteokbokki and Yves is immediately taken as she forgets her initial thoughts to watch her eating habits in front of Hana. As she shovels more tteok into , she forgets her crush sitting opposite her and she never stops to wonder why her plate kept on filling up. Realization hits her as her chopsticks stops midair, her eyes flickers to Hana who blinks in surprise.

“Something wrong?”

Yves swallows the food inside as she lowers her chopsticks onto the table, feeling self-conscious.

“Are you full already? There’s still a lot left” Hana says, her eyes moving from the pot to Yves’s half-eaten plate.

“I…why aren’t you eating?” Yves asks.

Hana’s mouth stretches into a smile. “Is that why you stop eating? Because I wasn’t?”

Yves nods shyly.

“I had a heavy lunch so most of these are for you. Plus, watching you eat is enough for me. Now,” Hana reaches to pick up Yves’s chopsticks and offers it to her, “please continue eating. Don’t worry about me.”

Yves takes the chopsticks from Hana and slowly begins to eat again. Hana’s smile widens as she happily goes back to transferring food onto Yves’s plate. Feeling bad for being the only one eating, Yves decides to feed Hana. She dips a tempura into the sauce and offers it to Hana who stares at it for a split second. Yves wonders if she’s crossed the line but the doubt left as fast as it came when she sees Hana opening and removing it from the chopsticks, munching on it and muttering a small thanks.

Yves blushes as she goes back and forth between feeding herself and Hana, falling into a common pattern. Once they were done, Hana gets up to pay, exchanging a few pleasantries with Yoo Halmeoni. Yves is surprised when both Hana and Yoo Halmeoni turn to look at her – Yoo Halmeoni appears to be telling Hana something as Hana turns away, smiling bashfully. What was that about? Yves thinks.

“Are you ready to go?”

Yves looks up and sees Hana standing behind her. She answers with a short nod, standing up and pushing her chair back in. She bids the halmeoni farewell.

“Come back soon!!”

“We will!!”

The two then leave the restaurant as they walk side by side towards the car.

Yves opens the conversation with a question. “What did Yoo Halmeoni say to you earlier while you were paying?”

“She says we make a good pair-” Hana turns to Yves, “-of lovers.”

Yves’s face heats up, her eyes widening in surprise.

“L…Lovers!?! We…We aren’t—”

“I agree with her.”

What? Yves freezes as her feet stops involuntarily as she stands rooted in the middle of the parking lot. Hana notices a void in the spot beside her as she halts, turning around to see Yves a few steps behind her, looking a little dazed. Hana walks towards Yves, waving her hand in front of her face to get her attention which seemed to do the trick.

“I was getting worried. Are you alright?” Hana questions with worry laced in her words, placing the back of her hand on Yves’s forehead to test her temperature. “You don’t have a fever. Was it the food? Does your stomach hurt?”

Yves brings her hand up, letting it hover over Hana’s before steeling her nerves and grabbing hold of Hana’s hand, pulling it down from her forehead with no intention of letting go just yet. Hana seems to understand, simply offering a small smile to Yves.

“Let’s go. It’s getting late. Don’t want you catching anything” Hana says softly.

The two continue their path towards the car, their hands intertwined even when entering the car. As the sun sets upon the horizon, gradually changing colors from a deep orange to dark blueish hue, so was the hearts of the car’s passengers. The car ride to Yves’s house was silent as usual but something had shifted – their silence wasn’t awkward, instead it was comforting as their hands were intertwined tightly. Hana’s thumb brushes over Yves’s knuckles gently, bringing butterflies to Yves’s belly.

The car comes to a stop as the driver opens the car door for Yves. Hana walks Yves to the lobby’s door, unwilling to let go of Yves’s hand – it was the same for Yves who was dreading going home – time passed too fast.

“Looks like it’s time for you to go, princess” Hana drawls, looking a little bummed but she quickly replaces it with a smile.

“I don’t want to go” Yves replies, her heart’s words slipping out of her lips.

“As much as I’d like to spend more time with you, I have something to do tonight. We always have tomorrow, princess.”

The usage of the endearing term is driving Yves insane. Her heart is about to just fail on her from the way Hana says it.

Yves pouts, muttering a low, “Okay then.”

Hana’s eyes flickers down to Yves’s naturally pinkish pouty lips, tempting her to just claim it. Her eyes move upwards, settling upon Yves’s deep brown ones, drawing her deeper and deeper. Her face moves down, growing closer to Yves’s as she could feel Yves’s breath against – pushing every negative thought behind her, Hana bridges the gap between them. The kiss begins softly, slowly and Yves’s sure that she’s never felt such soft lips in her life – maybe it’s because she hasn’t kissed that many people but Hana might just be the sweetest of them all.

Her arms circles Hana’s shoulders, pulling her closer as Hana’s hands naturally wraps around Yves’s waist. Their mouths moulding perfectly against each other, only breaking away once they ran out of air. Their foreheads still connected as they pant heavily, large smiles on their face. Hana is the first to pull away as she plants another peck on Yves’s forehead.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

Yves nods as Hana releases Yves from her grasp. Walking backwards, Hana sends Yves a wave goodbye before hopping into the car. After Yves watches the car leave the compound, she lets out a squeal, jumping happily as she quickly calms down and looks around cautiously before making her way back home. Meanwhile, inside the car, Hana’s hand floats above her lips, her thumb lightly tracing the outlines, moving inwards as the tingling sensation from the kiss still remains fresh in her mind. Her smile doesn’t reach her eyes though, suddenly recalling the dark past as she is quick to dismiss any thoughts of happiness.

What right did she have to love another?

Any happy thoughts she had was immediately replaced by dark ones – unhappy ones as she orders her driver, “Take me to Midnight.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Her smile long gone, replaced by a steely expression.

~~~~~~~~~~

A couple days later, Yves invites Hana back to her place on the pretense of helping with her studies. Hana agrees promptly, informing the Roses that she has other things to do and wouldn’t be following them home. Hana takes Yves’s car as they return to Yves’s penthouse.

“Nice place” Hana comments.

Yves smiles, answering, “Thanks. My mom prides herself in interior design.”

Jiso materializes from the kitchen, greeting Yves with a huge smile. Her smile however falters when her eyes lands upon Hana, looking towards Yves for an explanation.

“Oh, ahjumma! This is my friend, Hana. I invited her over to help me with my studies” Yves says as Jiso’s smile returns, bowing slightly towards Hana who returns the favor.

“Welcome, Miss Hana! I am Jiso, Miss Yves’s caretaker since young. I wasn’t informed of your visit so please forgive my reaction” Jiso says.

Hana shakes her head. “It’s alright. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

Yves walks over to Hana, linking their arms together, “Ahjumma, Hana and I will be going up to my bedroom. Do you mind bringing us some drinks?”

“Of course. What would you like?”

Yves turns to Hana who merely smiles and answers, “I’m not picky. I’ll have whatever Yves is having.”

Jiso nods. “I understand. I’ll be right up with the drinks.”

“Thank you, ahjumma! We’ll head up then!” Yves proceeds to drag Hana by the hand towards the stairs as Hana could only afford to bow before being tugged away by a hyperactive Yves.

“Slow down, princess! I’m not going anywhere!”

Yves looks over her shoulder to flash Hana a toothy grin, sticking her tongue out childishly before turning away. Hana couldn’t help the smile that slips past her lips. How was it that this girl whose she’s barely known a month make her smile like a fool? It was so effortless on the brunette's part because everything Yves does – even the smallest makes Hana smile and that was the scariest thing in the world. 

Because Hana thinks that she’s catching feelings.

Something that wasn’t supposed to happen and yet, here she was – heart beating like a drum, butterflies swarming her belly, heat rising upon her face, neck and all over her body as she basks in the warmth radiating from their laced hands. So deep in her feelings, Hana doesn’t realize Yves pushing open her room door and pulling Hana inside.

Yves suddenly feels self-conscious because this is the first time, she’s allowed anyone aside from her mother and Jiso inside her room. She looks over to Hana to scout her reaction but the dark-haired girl’s face is blank. Yves waves her hand in front of Hana’s face which appears to work as Hana blinks in surprise.

“Is something wrong?” Yves asks, her eyes quickly scanning the room for any signs of dirt or unfolded laundry.

“It’s nothing” Hana dismisses the matter with a laugh, “You really like the color burgundy, don’t you?”

The walls on Yves’s room were painted a deep burgundy color, her white sectional sofa had burgundy pillows and a glass coffee table – beyond the living room was a platform bed with burgundy sheets and a huge pink swan plush resting on top the pillows.

Yves clears , brushing the strands of stray hair behind her ear.

“I like it” Hana adds.

Yves smiles as she brings Hana towards the bed, taking a seat at the edge and pats the space beside her, “Come sit.”

Hana obliges as she settles comfortably on Yves’s bed. “So, what would you like to start with? Calculus? English Lit? Chemistry?”

If Yves was being honest, she didn’t really need any help with her studies – she had actually caught up on most of it but she needed a valid excuse to invite Hana over and she thought why not the cliche 'I need help with my studies'. Clearly, not her brightest moments. Her mind pauses as she searches for a subject that she needed further explanation in but the minute Hana looks at her attentively with those warm brown eyes – any semblance of thoughts disappears to the back of her mind.

“Yves?”

Hana inches closer towards Yves who panics at Hana’s face closing in and blurts out, “English Lit??”

A smile blooms upon Hana’s face as she leans back, replying with an, “Okay.”

Raps on the door drew their attention as the door swings open revealing Jiso holding a tray.

Yves clears , “Ahjumma! You can leave the tray on the table. Thank you!”

Hana pipes up from where she sat, “Thank you very much, ahjumma!”

Jiso bows, retreating from the room – not forgetting to close the door behind her.

“Can you show me what books you usually use for English Lit? Maybe, we can start from there” Hana suggests.

Yves nods as she makes her way over to her book shelf, pulling a few books out and walking back to her bed. She hands them over to Hana who takes them, casually flipping through them but Yves could see her eyes scanning each page with immense speed.

“These books only provide you with expected questions and an answer script. It doesn’t teach you how to tackle intricate questions which is what our teachers at Eden like to give. Honestly, they can twist the questions all they want but essentially, it’s still the same thing – all you have to do is understand and derive the answers from the text or poem given. It’s fairly simple but be careful because some questions have dual meanings which will eliminate you easily” Hana explains, placing the books onto the bed as Yves tries to catch every point that Hana throws at her.

Once Hana was done explaining, she looks to Yves for a confirmation but is instead greeted by a blank face. Hana snorts as she reaches out to lace her fingers through Yves’s, bringing the confused girl closer towards her.

“It’s alright. We’ll go through it together and I’ll write it down as well so you can refer to it whenever you need to. Will that be okay with you?” Hana asks.

Yves pouts, her eyes going soft – resembling a kicked puppy, mumbling, “That would be great because I didn’t catch a thing you’ve just said.”

Hana uses her free hand to ruffle Yves’s hair to which Yves playfully shoots Hana a glare for messing up her hair but Hana averts Yves’s eyes, pretending she never saw the glare that was thrown in her direction. Hana giggles happily as Yves whines – shaking Hana’s hand off her head and smoothing her hair. As Yves fixes her hair, she comes up with a little revenge plan, a smirk filled with mischief written on her face. Hana begins to back away, crawling deeper into bed as an attempt to avoid the smirking brunette. 

Hana holds her hands out in front of her in precaution, “Whatever you are thinking about, princess, don’t.”

Yves’s smirk widens as she moves into a predatory position and prances onto Hana who yelps in surprise. Yves’s hands holding Hana’s hips in place, not allowing her to escape, no matter how much she tries to wriggle out of the brunette’s death grip. Yves quickly moves to hold Hana down, wrapping her legs around the girl's waist and trapping her. Yves wiggles her fingers teasingly in front of Hana’s face as she tickles Hana’s sides, eliciting screams and laughter out from the dark-haired girl.

Hana finally grabs hold of Yves’s hands, stopping her from continuing her tickle attacks on Hana. Yves squeals as she attempts to escape Hana's hands, only stopping their scuffle when she realizes the promiscuous position that they were in – with her straddling Hana and her legs resting on either side of Hana’s thighs.

Yves’s eyes trails down to meet Hana’s brown orbs. Beautiful. She watches as the sides of Hana’s mouth quirk upwards to form a Cheshire grin.

“You’re not bad yourself.”

Before Yves could register anything else, something soft presses against her lips – the familiar warmth spreads through her body – it was like fire coursing through her veins. Just as she’s about to respond to the kiss, Hana pulls away and suddenly, the warmth is gone. Yves misses the feeling as she chases after Hana, molding their lips back together.

Hana giggles in between kisses – she could feel Yves’s thirst with each kiss growing rougher and less calculated – purely instinct and Hana’s slowly becoming an addict. She could spend all day kissing Yves if she could – her full lips fit like a missing puzzle piece against her own – tasting like sweet nectar. 

So deep in their own world, the two girls didn’t realize how much time had passed since they stepped into the Ha Penthouse. The books from earlier were now resting on the floor – messily scrambled and untouched. Yves finally slows down when she hears the distinct sound of footsteps padding towards her bedroom, growing louder by the minute.

She stops Hana who was kissing down her neck, gently pushing her away, “Hana, I hear footsteps.”

Two knocks rapped against the door.

*Knock* *Knock*

“Young-ie, are you inside?”

Their eyes widen, exchanging glances with each other.

“Who is that?” Hana mouths.

Yves mouths back, “My mother.”

They heard the sound of the knob being turned as Yves immediately scrambles off Hana’s lap – the other girl rolling on her back as Yves quickly arranges herself while Hana grabs a random book off the ground. Yves’s mom walks into the room and eyes them suspiciously.

"Jiso told me we had a guest. Please join us for dinner, I do insist." Yves's mom then shoots Hana a tight-lipped smile before retreating out of the room.

Yves sighs in relief. "That was close."

Hana couldn’t stop the snort that left as Yves shoots her a glare and smacks her arm. Hana merely chuckles and pulls Yves in for another kiss before hopping off Yves’s bed. The two make their way downstairs as they take their respective places at the dinner table.

"Thank you for inviting me to dinner, Mrs Ha" Hana utters politely.

"Well, any friend of my daughter is always welcomed at our dinner table. I'm glad my daughter is making friends. I was worried at first" Mrs Ha says, looking at Yves who bows her head shyly. "Our Sooyoung has always been shy. I'll have to ask you to look out for her." 

"Mom, please stop!?!" Yves whines. 

"I'll try my best, Mrs Ha. You can rest assure that she'll be well cared for" Hana says confidently. 

Mrs Ha nods, impressed by Hana's words. "I don't think I caught your name." 

"Hana. Kang Hana, Mrs Ha." 

Yves’s mom and Hana continue their conversation smoothly transitioning through different topics with Yves chiming in once in a while. Hana was relaxed in the way she answered her questions, not faltering even once. Yves could tell that her mother was impressed with Hana. Dinner ends pleasantly as Yves's mother bids Hana farewell, retires into her bedroom while Yves sends Hana off. 

Their hands gravitate towards each other, lacing them together as they stand in the elevator side by side. As the familiar tune plays, the elevator doors open allowing them to step out into the lobby. Hana spots her driver standing by the car just as they step through the revolving doors. 

"Well, this is me" Hana says. 

Yves's grip on Hana's hand tightens for a minute, reluctant to let go as always. 

"So, Sooyoung, huh?" Hana muses as Yves looks up in surprised, realizing that her mother had revealed her real name. "Hey, it's alright! Whether your name is Yves or Sooyoung, you're still you." 

"Thanks" Yves mumbles. 

Hana places her thumb and index finger under Yves's chin, gently tilting it up so their eyes could meet. "It's nothing to be embarassed about. I would never judge you for something as trivial as this. I care about you, Yves and you never have to be afraid of showing yourself to me." 

Hana leans in to press a firm kiss to Yves's forehead before stepping back, her hand dropping back to her side. 

"I had fun today. About the study session, we might have to reschedule since we didn't get to do anything today. For the notes, I'll write it down and send it to you through text. Let's do this again" Hana says, winking playfully. 

Yves chuckles, shaking her head, waving Hana off. Hana slides into the car as the driver closes the door, bowing respectfully to Yves, circling the front of the car and hops into the front seat. Hana winds down the window, "Go on inside. It's cold at night!" 

Yves nods, sending Hana one last wave, turning on her heels and heading back inside the building. She smiles brightly, happily making her way upstairs. 

Hi, it's me, H! Honestly, I don't even know how I wrote until 4000 over words but I guess i got carried away? I hope you like this chapter and will be patient for the upcoming chapters. Thank you for reading this story! Please comment, I really want to know your feedback. That's all from me, love, your author, H.