“Unnie,” Eunbi cautiously calls as Yuna places a piece of meat on the grill, “I’m sorry. I was wrong,” she mumbles softly, but Yuna hears it clearly over the sizzling of the oil. “I shouldn't have brought it up again. I shouldn't be blaming you in the first place. I really, really thought I wasn’t holding it on you anymore when I even enjoyed your performance last week. I’m sorry, unnie, it’s my fault,” Eunbi pours out her remorse.

Yuna does not look up, but continues with the cooking as a small smile spread across her lips. When she finally put down the thongs, she beams at Eunbi and says, “Apology accepted, we’re good.”

The sweet smile on Yuna’s face somehow makes Eunbi’s heart skip a beat. At the same time, Eunbi feels the remaining tension in her dissipate as their little fight has finally resolved.

“Eat up, Eunbi yah, don’t worry about it. I know you need time to think about it, so take your time. I don’t want to pressure you, I’m sorry if it seemed like I was pressuring you,” Yuna speaks as she cuts up the cooked meat and places a piece on Eunbi’s plate. “And about that, we're really done with it. I don't blame you for being angry anymore, I know about why you should be.”

The guilt in Eunbi grows again. “I’m sorry I held it against you that you joined HSE instead of SSO,” she apologises yet again, clearly reiterating their subject.

“Just eat,” Yuna says. When Eunbi doesn’t pick up her chopsticks but remains sulking in her seat, Yuna gives Eunbi a few comforting pats on her head, before continuing, “No matter what your choices are, I’ll support you. I know it took you effort to do so for my decision to join HSE, but you’ve always been an encouraging and supportive presence and I’ll always be grateful for you, Eunbi yah,” Eunbi listens quietly to Yuna’s gentle voice.

Eunbi sticks her bottom lip out, her brow intensely furrowed, as she mutters looking down, “I’m grateful for you, unnie.”

[Eunbi ssi, I hope you had a good day. I would still like to thank you for the wonderful afternoon yesterday. Let’s meet again soon!]

The message that comes in with content that causes Eunbi’s face to light up like a bulb instantly lifts her spirits up even higher. Not that she wasn’t already in a delight to begin with after the wonderful meal that patched her up with her older housemate from their worst argument as of yet, but Eunbi is reminded about meeting Jeonghan for the first time and wondering if it would’ve been nice to know him earlier. Eunbi chuckles at her own thoughts, deeming them as nonsense, as she releases a sigh that follows her memory of their previous afternoon together.

[Thank you, I hope your day was good too.] Eunbi decides not to show too much eagerness. Maybe this is what it’s about, the push and pull, she thinks with a giggle, and then feeling ashamed and wanting to smack herself for such thoughts.

Jeonghan makes Eunbi feels like she's young again. Eunbi reminisces her time when she used to think of romance, before life kicked in: her time in high school when a certain childhood friend was sweet on her, her time in the conservatory her eyes were on a certain lovely and talented sunbae, until she embarked on the difficult life of a professional musician which completely took away all capacity for any romance in her life.

Who cares if I actually like meeting Jeonghan ssi? It's not like Yuna unnie should have any part in this.

Wait. Furrowing her brow, she stops herself in her internal monologue, why is Yuna unnie brought into this?

That aside, she met her high school friend and had her own pretty story as well. Well, until she came home crying saying she'll never see him again. But well, that's none of my business either.

No, Eunbi feels like it isn’t right for her to think this way. A growing guilt causes Eunbi to rethink her words. She recalls the heartache she herself felt upon seeing Yuna’s tear-stained face.

What was it actually? Yuna unnie didn't seem very particularly heartbroken after that day. I tried looking out, but she was normal. Eunbi brings her hands to , resting her fingers on her lips as she ponders. Normal, perhaps sighted more frequently in her daydreams but it isn’t anything new- Yuna is one to daze often anyway.

Nonetheless, something tugs on her and repeatedly reminds her to feel in the wrong for letting her curiosity towards Jeonghan and their situation grow. She recalls their conversation from almost two months ago, when Yuna had expressed the intention to stay in this home with Eunbi “forever”. Eunbi had been happy to hear Yuna say so. She knows the fluttering in her heart when Yuna’s words had registered in her mind. So is this where the guilt is coming from? Eunbi releases a sigh and shakes her head.

Eunbi absentmindedly lets their text conversation progress when a reply from Jeonghan comes in. She is only shaken to realisation when the invitation comes: [This is a really short notice but, would you be up for dinner on Wednesday night?]

Eunbi picks on her fingers anxiously while waiting for Jeonghan to show up. She frets about her outfit, glancing down on her culottes and slightly worn black flats. Eunbi sighs, thinking that she doesn't really have a choice since she's coming from practice. When she looks up she sees Jeonghan running over with a smile, appearing to have come from work.

“I’m sorry, did you wait for long?” he speaks amongst faint panting.

Eunbi shakes her head and puts on a smile. “It’s okay.”

On the way to a restaurant for their dinner, Eunbi (surprisingly) initiates a conversation with her curiosity, “I’ve really been wondering, how did you come to know about me? Do our mothers know each other?”

“Ah, our mothers were good friends before they both got married to live in different cities. But they kept in contact, though not most frequently, and your mother mentioned you a lot,” his response is somehow warm to Eunbi’s heart.

“My umma?” she whispers before closing her lips in a soft, longing smile. Suddenly, Eunbi is overcome with shame at the thought of rejecting Jeonghan possibly just because it was a choice her mother had made for her. But that shouldn’t be it, should it? Eunbi knows she isn’t deceiving herself when she believes that it isn’t exactly her haughtiness against her mother that is forbidding her any progress with Jeonghan.

“Of course she talks about your brother as well, but your mother was always very proud of you,” Jeonghan’s smile remains.

Eunbi looks down as she inhales, her heart swelling in thought of her mother. “What does she say about me?”

“She praises you a lot! Though humbly, but her pride in you shows,” his answer further evokes Eunbi’s sentimentality. “And I’ve been curious to meet you ever since,” Jeonghan continues, “so it has been a few years.”

Eunbi chooses not to pursue his words nor respond.

“I hope it’s not rude to ask, but I really want to know,” Jeonghan’s tone changes rather drastically, “what do you think of me?”

Eunbi’s footsteps come to a pause. For some reason or another, Yuna appears in her mind. Eunbi isn’t confused why; rather, she is troubled on how she should now conduct herself towards Jeonghan.

Feeding on her suspicion, she returns the question, “What do you think of me?”

Jeonghan appears to not have expected the rebound in his own question, but answers earnestly, “I’ve heard well enough about you before meeting you; seeing you in person made me think even better of you.”

Eunbi wants to sigh, but does it discreetly. “I appreciate it,” she mumbles without facing him and starts walking ahead again.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet me today,” Jeonghan courteously says when they reach the foot of Eunbi’s apartment block. “I had to meet a client in the area and just wondered if I could see you again.”

The way Jeonghan smoothly inserts words of sweetness in his speech leaves Eunbi breathless every time. “Thank you for walking me home,” she says when she finds her voice again.

Jeonghan smiles. “Do you know you’re actually very pretty?”

“What?” Eunbi consciously stops herself from furrowing her brow.

“You don’t look like you know, so I’m telling you this,” Jeonghan draws her in with his deep brown orbs, “you’re beautiful.”

Eunbi looks down with her lips in a smile and her cheeks flushed red. She hears the bursting of fireworks at the back of her mind.

Her smile fades when she remembers again Yuna. She brings her left wrist up and says, “It’s late, I should go,” without actually taking any glances at her watch.

“Go to sleep, umma, it's really late,” Yuna glances over to the clock before turning back to the night view outside the window. “Don't worry about me,” she smiles.

“Okay, see you next Monday night then,” her mother says before their call comes to an end.

Yuna sighs and glances out into the night sky, the glistening stars staring back down at her. She finds the rarity in the quiet, empty home, for it was not often for Yuna to be home alone at night without her younger housemate and her characteristic hubbub.

Yuna wonders about Eunbi’s evening out and heaves a sigh. Eunbi did not explicitly tell her, but Yuna knew somehow who Eunbi was going to have her dinner with. Despite that, the fuss within her on Sunday and their squabble from Monday seem to have left her insentient and inert to any disappointment she could possibly face.

The tranquillity is interrupted when she hears the shuffling of Eunbi’s slippers behind her.

“Ah unnie, you’re here?” Eunbi mutters, slightly stunned. “You were so quiet, I didn’t notice,” she flashes a bashful smile as she strolls over to where Yuna is.

Yuna’s eyes land on the towel draped around Eunbi’s shoulders, and then her wet, messy hair. Rather mindlessly, she reaches out with her right hand and combs through Eunbi’s hair with her fingers. “Dry your hair well because it’s late, don’t catch a cold,” she softly says with a gentle smile on her lips.

Eunbi feels her cheeks heating up, accompanying the warm fuzziness that visits her heart every time Yuna displays a compassionate gesture.

Her conscience is pricked upon remembering how Yuna had to spend her evening alone as she was out with Jeonghan. Eunbi thinks also about her mother’s plans for her to get married, and then having to move out, and realises that she can't imagine living a day without Yuna. Eunbi’s smile drops. She can't imagine not living under the same roof as Yuna.

She is shaken out of her thoughts when her heart skips a beat as Yuna’s soft hand caresses the top of her head. Looking up, their eyes meet and Eunbi relishes the feeling of Yuna’s expression of endearment.

“Unnie, why?” she mutters, more puzzlement than concern in her voice when Yuna’s gaze on her stays for an extended period of time. (She is however ignorant to the longing in Yuna’s eyes.)

Yuna blinks. “Hmm? Nothing,” she mumbles and turns away. I’ve missed you, she says internally. Yuna chuckles softly upon realising her own thought, slightly surprised.

“Why are you laughing?” Eunbi asks, befuddled by Yuna’s sudden change in mood as well.

Yuna shakes her head, her eyes in crescents as she recovers from her laughter.

When Eunbi’s heart skips a beat again, she remembers how Yuna has been the light through her days and it dawns upon her: I think I’m in love with Yuna unnie.

a/n: an extra long chapter, but i guess you guys deserve it hehe bc last week’s update was not a chapter hahaha anyway we are gOING PLACES WITH EUNBI’S FEELINGS i certainly missed writing sweet sinju as i was writing this (and some moments in the next few chapters as well haha) i'm really sorry for jeonghan though such a nice guy… but yuna came before you did. gahaha anyway i hope you enjoyed this chapter, i pretty much enjoyed writing it though i haven't been reading lately so my language might have become a little weaker, im sorry about that ^^|| well do leave a few comments, also, i’ll try to give the next update real soon (since im not working for this month)! love you guys xoxo i hope this update was worth the wait