***************************************

Silence filled the air as the blonde finally finished her story as the duo couldn't begin to process what they've just heard. They thought they were ready but they didn't notice that they both formed tears at the corner of their eyes as the story went and finally concluded. As Sakura sat there in silence, she felt like a huge weight lifted from her shoulders and felt a bit happier. After finally telling her roommate and friend, she finally felt free. They were the first to know besides her family and friends in Japan and she felt thankful towards the two, who both still haven’t uttered a single word. She suddenly stood up and walked to the kitchen.

"Anybody up for some ice cream? I think I'm gonna save printing stuff for tomorrow since I'm a bit tired right now." spoke the blonde as she tried to change the tension that lingered in the air. “I would cook something but it’s getting late now so we might as well eat some late dessert....to clear our minds.”

Hyewon sighed and stood up. Thoughts ran through her head but she finally got the answers she wanted from her friend after all these months. Her worries were still there and all she thought she could do was to just comfort her friend. From the couch, she suddenly walked around and towards the kitchen while Yena still sat there looking at the ground.

Sakura took out 3 cups when she heard footsteps close by. She didn't think of it much and just continued what she was doing until she felt a pair of hands hugging her waist and a head laying on the right side of the back and shoulders. She didn't even have to think as she already knew who it was and for some reason, it didn’t feel weird to her being held in that fashion. She only stopped what she was doing as they just stood there in silence for a moment.

"I’m sorry if I kept asking you back then…..I see why you never opened up after all this time. Please forgive me for being so ignorant." whispered Hyewon.

Sakura sighed. "Don't be...I'm feeling happier now that I have it off of my chest. The past is the past. I needed to move on so thanks for the help pushing me forward. Thanks for being my friends."

“Of course. We might not have known each other for long Sakura but please rely on me in the future okay? You are much stronger than you think you are you know? Let's get stronger together.” Hyewon suggested as she dropped her arms around the older girl and then patted her head. It took her a few moments but Sakura finally turned around and faced Hyewon. Small tears formed at the corner of her eyes but a faint smile showed her happiness.

"Don't cry anymore Sakura." Hyewon gave a small smile.

"I'm not....."

"Hmmmm?"

"I'm not crying anymore."

Hyewon tilted her head as stared at Sakura for a moment.

‘....final tears for the misery you experienced ...this is your last goodbye to them?’ she thought.

“........I see”

“Thank you.” whispered Sakura.

“Can I join in?”

Yena was now behind them with slightly puffy eyes as she looked towards both of them unsure what to do next.

“...........come on in ducky. Let’s cheer up okay? I don't like to see you like this so join in would'ja? ” Sakura spoke as she held her arms wide open as Hyewon did the same.

Yena nodded her head and didn’t hesitate to dive into her friend’s arms and they embraced each other as hard as they could. They all stood there for a minute enjoying their appreciation and love for each other…..

“........so…..I can’t help but notice…...why is there mint chocolate ice cream invading our fridge Yena?” spoke Sakura.

Silence.

Hyewon yelled and looked visibly disgusted as her world collapsed. “Mint choco?! Yena…..you eat mint choco now?! Disgusting….you betra-”

Yena broke their hug and waved her hands in a panic. “Nonononono, it was Nako!! Nako was here a few days ago!”

“What’s a Nako?”

“That’s my cousin ...and wait ...Hyewon, you don’t like mint choco too?! Put it here buddy.” the blonde held her fist hand towards Hyewon.

“Of course, it tastes like toothpaste! We should form an Anti-Mint Choco Squad!!” Hyewon raised her fist towards Sakura and tapped one against the other.

“.....wait! I hate mint choco too you know! Let me bump fist too!” whined Yena.

“Anti Mint Choco Squad!” they all stood and fist-bumped in a triangle formation.

“You know…..I have a feeling this is going to be a start of a wonderful relationship.” said a smiling Hyewon.

Thanks to Sakura, the tension that clouded the dorm was finally gone. What dwells in the past shall stay there...they can finally be themselves again as they started chatting about other things. ‘There’s no need for sadness, not while I have friends like these around. Onward towards the future I guess….’

--------------------------------------------

"Why is this camera here?" questioned Sakura as she looked at the device that hid on the counter.

“Uhhhh that's me…….I just wanted to record our prank.” Yena spoke.

“Record? So what was the prank gonna be?”

“Nothing big, just to surprise you with Hyewon unnie meeting you earlier than expected.”

“That’s all?”

“Well I had some stuff in mind when we were waiting for you but that took over an hour so I just called you. After that, we were about to leave but you came back unexpectedly and you know what happened afterward."

"Yena……."

"I know I know"

"I think it finished recording like 30 minutes ago. Seems like the memory is full." said Sakura as she looked at the screen on the back of the camera.

"30 minutes ago? Well I guess that's for the better since….you know? Wait can I check it? I wanna know where it stopped." Yena then took the camera and watched the recorded clip.

“Hmmm stopped a little before your story...that’s good. The footage recorded is gold though. Hahahaha ...this part is amazing, look Sakura.”

Sakura then came close and saw the footage: Herself being hugged by the one and only Yena and a towel over her face. From the footage, could see clearly see where Hyewon was who was laughing in the kitchen. Sakura could only sigh ...”Always a troublesome roommate are you Yena?”

“Hey Yena…..can I have some of the footage? I want to keep it ...for viewing later.”

“No probs unn-”

“Wait...why? It’s embarrassing! Don’t be like her!” whined Sakura.

“No reason...just memories..” ‘......and to see the Queen of Darkness again and again...and again’ thought Hyewon.

“I need to watch out from you two…..”

Hours passed as they continued talking well into the night, unaware as the minute and hour hand ticks constantly. They all talked until they grew weary and before they knew it, they passed out in the living area of the dorm with nothing but happiness growing in the hearts as they dreamed.

--------------------------------------------

-1 Day Before The Event-

Dawn finally came and it was the first time Sakura ever slept in and woke up so late. As her eyes started fluttering open, she felt tired. She remembered Yena and Hyewon took the couches for themselves and she was too tired that night to go in her room so she slept on the floor....but something else felt different. She was sleeping on her side and as her sight started getting clearer, she saw something completely unexpected: Hyewon’s sleeping face just inches away from her as her eyes widened in panic. She also finally noticed that Hyewon’s hands were also hugging her waist which only made her panic even more.

‘How on Earth did she get down here!? I remember she was on the couch above…..did she fall on me or something!?’ thought Sakura as she started blushing furiously at the closeness of her friend.

“Mmmmm cake….yum yum….omnomnom nom nom.” Hyewon muttered as she slept.

‘What….she’s actually dreaming of cakes?! Suits her online name CakeKillerKwan-mmpHHHhHHH!!!’

Sakura was now bewildered, Hyewon’s face closed the gap as she sleep talked and it caused their lips to converge with each other. Sakura was now fully awake and also red as a cherry as she felt Hyewon’s lips moving on their own as if she was eating cake in her dreams. Hyewon’s grip also got tighter which caused Sakura to panic even more ‘AHHHHHHHH…….AHHHHHH!!!’

“MmmmMMmMmMmmmmMMm!!!” Sakura struggled and stared until she finally thought. Her mind was in disarray before but she finally took her hands and lightly tapped on the side of Hyewon’s face hoping it could dispel Hyewon's hunger of food...among other things.

“MmmmmmMmmmmm….hmmmmm?” Hyewon’s slowly started waking up and her eyes opened. Her eyes met with Sakura’s as they stared at each other in shock: One because of her struggle trying to escape, the other because she awoke lip-locking her friend. Time seemed frozen as they looked at each other for mere moments…..only to resume when the raven-haired girl seemed to lean in deeper into the kiss as if she wanted to seal it which caused the blonde to let out a soft and slight moan unexpectedly. She broke it off and finally pulled away. For some unknown reason, Hyewon slowly went in for another taste of Sakura's lips which caught her in surprise yet again. Hyewon lingered on it for a few seconds as Sakura's mind broke until Hyewon finally pulled away a second time as they stared at one another dazed at what just happened.

Sakura pulled her head back and feelings clouded the atmosphere of her brain. No words came out as hung open widely as she almost mimicked the famous painting, "The Scream". She finally turned her body away from Hyewon and sat up from the floor. Hyewon followed suit and also turned her body opposite of Sakura.

30 seconds of awkward silence later…..

“...............ummmm…..so ...what just happened?” whispered Hyewon feigning ignorance.

“........Hyewon……you kno-”

“Uhhhhh…..sooooo ...did w-”

“We kissed Hyewon….we kissed.”  Sakura solidly confirmed. 'And she even went in a 2nd time..........'

“............”

“............”

“.....how did this happen? You like smooching your friends when they sleepov-”

“NOOOOOO! I just woke up and I tried to get away from your embrace but........but I think you were eating cake in your dreams! You moved forward and....well”

“.........really? Oh yeaaaaah, I was eating cake….it was huge so I wanted more so I kept going at it.” ‘Ironically….it was dark chocolate and cherry cake.’ thought Hyewon as the ends of her lips started curving upwards.

“............” ‘Oh ...my…...god…..’

“.......wow ...I think I love something more than cake now.”

“...HYEWON!!!!!”

“Uhh…...sorry for liking your soft lips? Cherry flavor lip balm suits you by the way…..”

“...........HYEWON!!! YABAIINDE!!!!” Sakura screamed while turning the color of cherry again.

“Okay, I’m gonna be honest...at the end there, I added an extra oomph to seal it. Didn’t wanna waste it you know? I was in the moment....”

“....oh my god Hyewon ...did you know how uncomfortable I was?!”

“You didn’t like the kiss?” question Hyewon as she stared at the floor in front of her.

“No, I definitely didn’t say that, I sai….wait, that didn’t come out righ-” ‘!’

“You liked it! I did too!! You even moaned!” Hyewon now turned back around to face Sakura’s back who was making exaggerated and random motions of movement. Probably from stress.....yep stress.

“I didn’t mean it lik-”

“Wuuut da heckkk youz guysa talkin’ bout?! I’m tryna sleepa in heeerrre!!!” Yelled a groggy Yena. Her back was towards them as she raised one hand in defiant of all the noise.

Sakura sighed and stood up for a moment to collect her thoughts. ‘This cannot be happening…..’ then went to the bathroom to clean herself up.

“.......she liked it.....she definitely did.” Hyewon whispered and smiled to herself as she went to the kitchen sink to at least wash her face. After she was done, she sat at the dining table in the kitchen to reminisce at what happened only a few minutes ago.

After a few minutes, Sakura came out and her face felt refreshed. ‘I….can’t…..believe……’ *sigh*

She then walked towards the kitchen and felt Hyewon staring at her as she went to the fridge.

“Not a word….go ahead and use the bathroom and then we’ll talk. I have an extra coral colored tooth brush in there if you wanna use it.”

“......sure thing Cherry hehehe.” giggled Hyewon as she went and did what Sakura has told.

After about 10 minutes, Hyewon smelled something delicious and came back out to find breakfast on the table where she once sat at. Green tea, miso soup, rice porridge, kimchi, samgyeopsal, bacon and eggs with buttered toast and some cut-up fruit. A mix of Japanese and Korean with a bit of American breakfast. 'Amazing!'

“Wow…..is this breakfast?” Hyewon wondered in delight at all the food in front of her. 'I should come here every morning!'

“Enjoy. I have more if you want.” spoke Sakura as she started making plates for herself.

“Me and Minju never really cook anything like this. This is amazing.”

“Really? Yabai….you just go buy stuff I guess?”

“Yeah, we don’t really cook at our dorm.”

“Well you’re in my dorm so eat up. I’m gonna let little old ducky over there sleep a little while longer. She has classes in a few hours. Well, go ahead now. Eat. Enjoy.”

“Don’t mind if I do!”

Sakura finally prepared all her plates and took them to the table and sat across from Hyewon.

“How is it?”

“Ahhhmaaajinnng! Aaa luubbbb itt!!!”

“Good.” said Sakura as she softly smiled.

--------------------------------------------

With plates all finished, Sakura and Hyewon cleaned up and sat back down at the table.

“Sooo…...about this morning. It didn’t happen.” Sakura flatly said.

“It did.” replied Hyewon in a cheery voice.

“That was all a daydream. A vivid daydream.” Sakura flatly said again.

“Nope. It was pretty vivid but it wasn't a daydream. Tsun Tsun Cherry is coming out now huh? I missed her hehehe!” Hyewon beamed as she happily moved her body left and right.

“..........Hyewon! Would you-” yelled Sakura trying to convince Hyewon who then cut her off also.

“Admit it Sakura, it was not a planned kiss but you enjoyed it as much as I did.” spoke Hyewon who was now smirking.

“Huh? What? I don’t kno-”

“Let's do it agai-”

“Stop!! OKAY Hyewon, I get it! I liked it okay?! But we just met in real life yesterday! How the heck did we kiss one another on our 2nd day of meeting each other? It’s absurd! We kissed….WE KISSED! That's a big deal you know?!”

“I dunno….fate?”

“Fate? You're really saying that fate pulled our lips together?”

“The world is a magical plac-”

“Yabaiiii. This doesn't mean anything for now! And how did you get on the floor with me?! You were on the couch!”

“Sure hehehe. And that? I woke up in the middle of the night and saw you shivering. I was tired and didn’t want to intrude into your rooms to get a blanket so I thought ‘OooOooo, she must be cold, I need to snuggle with her to keep her warm.’”

“WHAT?! THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED?!”

“Yes. You stopped shivering after like 3 minutes by the way. I think I passed out shortly after that.”

“Hyewon…I swear, it’s been a roller coaster ride when you came here....all in 1 day!”

“A roller coaster ride of fun and delight. Maybe in the future, lov-”

“SHHHHHHHH ...anyway, I’m already late for my plans for today. I can't.....I'll deal with these feelings later.” Sakura cut Hyewon off as she already knew Hyewon is probably gonna forever now.

“So, are you off today?” wondered Hyewon trying to change the subject to make Sakura less stress than she already is.

“Yeah, but I’m gonna print some stuff and then get things ready for our event tomorrow.”

“Oh yeah that……..are you ready for it?”

“As ready as I’ve ever been ...but I don’t think I've gotten a chance to train much these past few days.”

“Really? I guess your is gonna get whooped by me then and I’ll win the prize!”

“Wait ...what did you wanted for your prize again?”

“Me? To play co-op games with you ...but now I think I’m gonna change it hehehe." Hyewon smirked.

“You…..you’re planning something sneaky are you? We’ll I still want my prize just to let you know.” ‘1 month of free yukhoe deliveries...don't fail me now gaming skills!”

“Sneaky? Noooooo. It definitely changed though thanks to today.”

“Oh god...yabai….yabaaaaaaaiiii.”

Hyewon then held her hand out in front of Sakura who looked at it briefly and then back at Hyewon.

“I’m still your rival you know? I want you to be at your best and I’ll do the same. Are you ready for war Cherry? The dust will be settled tomorrow and it shall be a grand spectacle.”

It took her a moment but Sakura finally took Hyewon’s hand and they firmly shook.

“No problem KwangBae ...I'm not one to back down on anything.”

“Except maybe more sweet kis-”

“Hyewon please!! AS I WAS SAYING, I won’t back down. But let me breathe a bit will okay!? Let's not focus on that for now....please?”

Hyewon couldn’t help but giggled as she stared at Sakura ears which were now as pink as her name.

‘Just you wait Sakura…..I’m not joking when I said I’m gonna give it my all. For your sake, I want you to be happy again and have fun with me.’

“Let’s enjoy it okay Sakura? No stress….let’s just have the times of our lives tomorrow as rivals. You’ve been through a lot so I’m gonna do my best to help you out today and set things up. This is our event so let’s work together, shall we? We'll deal with that later.....enjoy your time now because I know I certainly will.

“You're almost as troublesome as Yena you know that? But okay, I don’t think I’d want to have it any other way. Shall we start?” said a now smiling Sakura.

“Yes, let’s start.”

--------------------------------------------

"Speech"

'thoughts'

Finally another chapter done after revisiting and retweaking this chapter on and off for days. It was hard to follow up through a long and dark chapter so I kept this one a bit shorter than others. Also it happened! The beginning of some Hyekura stuff! After all these chapters, finally huh? Sorry for the wait lol. It's only the beginning of them so don't expect things too quick okay? The Event is close now! You'll definitely will see more funnier/wackier in the next chapters! Hope y'all enjoyed this short chapter!