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

-1 Day Before the Event. 10:30am-

Two women were out and about around after printing some posters for the event the next day. After waking up the day before, they cleaned themselves up and showered in their respective dorms and met back up. They were currently walking back towards Dorm A and decided to sit down in front where there were benches near by.

“This is such a beautiful day…..actually I think my favorite part was when I was waking up. It made my morning hehehe.”

“Come on Hyewon ...are you still thinking about it?” questioned Sakura. ‘She really…..really likes to bring it up huh?’

“Why wouldn’t I? I got to kiss a beauti-”

“HYEWON PLEASE!” yelled Sakura who ears started turning pink.

“Okay okay…you’re no fun.” Hyewon spoke in a playful yet defeated tone.

“It’s not that...it’s just complicated.”

“I know, I know…it won’t be complicated in the future, you’ll see.”

“You are really confident huh?” Sakura questioned while tilting her head trying to read the girl sitting beside her.

“No, I just tell it how it is.”

“.........oh Hyewon.” ‘Does she really feel that way about me ...? I can’t tell if she’s serious or not with how she talks. It’s definitely the tone of her voice...it just sounds like she’s bored most of the time.’

“These posters are really nicely designed btw, I love them. I love how big “CherryBlossom39 Vs CakeKillerKwangBae” is.”

“You think so? Thank you, I spent a lot of time on it. By the way, did you finish that trophy you talked about?” ‘Finally! We need to get away from that talk….’

“Of course, I finished the day I saw you at the cafe actually. I 3D printed it!”

“Really? Wow, well I can’t wait to see it…..and then win it.”

“Oh yeah? We’ll see about that Cher-…...actually can I call you Kkura like Yena does? Minju seems to call you that too…..”

“You like it? It is pretty cute huh? Ok, I don’t mind.”

“Kkura unnie…..”

“Actually Hyewon ...can you not put the unnie in?”

“Why is that?”

“I dunno, with you it feels a bit weird…..just call me Kkura.”

“OooooOOOoooo that means you view me as someone equal then? Hehehe…..also can you make me a nickname? I love your name but I don’t want to use it…..”

“Any reason why?”

“I want a nickname from you so I can get closer! I’ll use your real name once you’re mine.”

“.............ehhhhhh?” ‘What!?’

“Well I didn’t stutter Kkura ...I said that once you’re mine and we’re together, I’ll use your real name then.”

“.............wow and I thought someone else I met yesterday was blunt with words.”

“I’d rather be direct.”

*sigh* “I’d never though-”

“YAAAAAHHH, just give me a nickname already!” yelled Hyewon which startled the older girl a little.

“Yaaaaah? Okay okaaay...ummm......how about KwangKang?”

“Nope”

“KangBae”

“Nope”

“HyeBae….you know like “Hey bae, like it?”” ‘Hehehe, she’ll like this one….’

“Very cute and interesting but still, no.”

‘Awww, that was cute though…how about...’ “Kangchan”

“..........perfect! I love it! Say it again!” ‘OoooOoooOoo...Kangchan...Kangchan...it’s so anime, I love it!’

“.........Kangchan……”

“OooooOOooOoOoOooOoooo yes please more!”

“........you weirdo.”

"No, I'm Kwangbae"

“Exactly. But thank you for helping me today Hye...Kangchan. I really appreciate it”

“No problem, being with you right now is the best way to catch up.”

“Catch up? Is it because we were only online friends?”

"Of course, Isn’t it obvious? I want to know more about you, the real you.”

"The real me? You have for the past 4 months silly.”

“You know what I mean Sakura, don’t be a tsun tsun. You really are a level 10 tsundere in real life huh?”

“No I’m not hehehe. You bringing your levels back into real life too?.” Sakura playfully smacked Hyewon's arm who laughed softly in response.

“Yes…and right now I want to level up my friendship with you!” exclaimed the raven haired girl as she let off a big smile to the blonde next to her.

“Haha I see ...well if I recall correctly, I’m currently level 4 out of 10 right?”

“No, I was just teasing you. You are 6 out of 10 currently and I want to improve that even more. Maybe evolve it even.”

“Evolve?” Sakura tilted her head in response but she knew exactly what Hyewon meant. ‘Evolving friendship ...she definitely means having one’s friendship turning romantically.’

“Yeah...evolve, like Pokemon.”

“You are a nerd huh? Good, I’m glad you weren’t lying ...and evolving takes time and effort you know?”

“Yaaaaaaaah, I wasn’t faking it you know? And yes I know Kkura. Time and effort like any good thing...I’m willing to wait you know?”

“..........I see.” ‘I definitely need time to think about this…’ Sakura looked towards the sky wondering why did Hyewon find so much interest in her. She felt like she wasn’t special...but maybe she just couldn’t see it herself for now.

“Anyway, I love anime and manga too. I want you to listen to some of my anime OSTs in the future please.”

“I actually have quite a few you know ...I can maybe use some songs tomorrow when we play matches to pump up the Event. Might be entertaining to the girls who watch hehehe.”

Hyewon’s gaze at random objects in front of them stopped as she immediately turned to Sakura with excitement shining in her eyes.

“8 out of 10!” ‘OMG, KKURA HAS AND LISTENS TO ANIME OSTs!?! SHE’S AMAZING!’

“Huh?” Sakura looked at the girl in confusion as her brows furrowed.

“Your friendship level went up! I barely know anybody who have anime OSTs so you’re special in my book! And brilliant idea, let’s use them tomorrow!!”

“Oh…..by 2 points though? It’s just anime OSTs.”

“You say it like it’s easy to find people who appreciate these things…”

Hyewon frowned and began looking at random passersby walking towards their destinations. Everytime someone passed them, she questioned how everyone was different.

‘It’s hard to find someone who appreciates the same stuff as I do. Of course there’s many around me but I know only you for now Kkura ...at least you’re here with me.’

“It isn’t?” Sakura questioned as she kept her gaze on the girl.

“Here and there but not as widespread as it is in Japan. Our countries may be neighbors but our cultures are vastly different in some areas here and there. You have anime and manga basically everywhere and it's a Wonderland to me.”

“Oh ...I can definitely see what you mean now.”

“I really appreciate you being here Kkura.”

“Huh? Again with this type of talk?” Sakura leaned back from where she was sitting and smiled while staring at the azure blue sky. ‘We’re not going anywhere Hyewon, let’s just enjoy our time here and now.’

“I wanted to talk to you for so long that’s why, there’s only so much we could type about but we can finally talk now. I appreciate it.”

“It’s not changing anytime soon you know?” ‘and I’m not going anywhere…I won’t be a ghost to you.’

"I just want to spend as much time knowing you when I can."

"We literally live like 5 minutes from each other though silly."

"5 minutes without seeing you is a long time."

Hyewon then grabbed Sakura’s hand and held it much to the blonde’s surprise. Sakura looked down from the sky and unto their hands for a moment and finally then glanced at Hyewon’s serene face staring at her. Their eyes met...one with questioning and the other with longing.

".......Kangch-"

“Unnie?”

The two turned around from their bench and to their surprise, they saw a certain redhead just as surprised as they were....

“Minju!” “Minju?” both spoke at the same time…..

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

-Same Time-

“Nako ya! C’mere Nako!!” Yelled Yena as she saw her friend who was also Sakura’s closest cousin. She was a petite woman with a small face, long brown hair with an adorable smile. Some say you could even fit her in a pocket. Her face lit up once she saw who called out to her.

“Yena unnie! What’s up? You look kind of tired!”

“Yeah I am hehehehe. I just finished class but I’m tired from staying up for most of the night. Me, Kkura unnie and one of our friends finally all met each other yesterday and it was quite a big ordeal.”

“Jinja? What happened?”

“Kkura unnie and my friend Hyewon were supposed to have this big gaming event on Saturday but they’ve never met before so I wanted to give Kkura a surprise with Hyewon’s sudden arrival! It was amazing! Kkura unnie is a pretty good actress you know? She saw me act too…...she said I was the best ever and I am the best gamer and best friends and everything. ‘She’ll believe me..’

“......I believe you ...but not that last part hahahaha.”

“Why? You doubt your unnie Nako?!” ‘Or not ...dangit!’

“Of course, especially when it’s you unnie. “Never trust a duck, especially a duck that barks instead of quacks.” ‘Hehehe, Yena unnie is so fun to tease.’’

“........did you just make that up?”

“Yeah I did.”

“......have you been hanging out with Kkura lately? She’s influencing you or something…..my precious baby Nako is turning savage like her scary older cousin.”

“Hahaha no, I haven’t seen her in a bit. She called me earlier and said she wanted me to eat with her later at some place she wanted me to go last time. ”

“Oh…..and Nako….” ‘I need to let her know….’

“Hmmm…?”

“Uhmmm…...I uh……. I know Kkura unnie’s past now.”

“........................” Nako looked at Yena in surprise as she froze up. ‘Wait, what!? Did Sakuchan finally tell her?!

“.........Nako?” Yena stared at the suddenly frozen Nako.

“How much do you know?” whispered the younger girl with a look of worry growing on her face.

“........everything maybe? She told us after we kinda uhhh begged her to ...and it was heartbreaking to hear. I was actually scared to ask her but our friend Hyewon persisted so I followed suit. I didn’t expect it to be like that but she said that she felt happier after telling us. We talked so much after that until it was almost 3am”

“I see ...that is a lot to talk about.”

“Yes it was. I felt so happy to see her open up after these past 6 months but now knowing what troubled her so much ...I felt so bad afterwards. Let’s do our best to keep her happy right Nako?”

“Yes...let’s do our best. I’ll check up on her later when we meet.” Nako muttered and felt a little bit of tension lift up. ‘I’m probably gonna to talk to Sakuchan about this later....I hope I can be brave enough after not saying anything about it to her for so long…..’

“Hey Nako ...can I get a hug?” Yena suddenly blurted.

“A hug? Wae yo? Any reason why?” questioned Nako as she frowned.

“It's mostly for you actually........because you knew about it all this time but you couldn’t tell anybody. Juri knew too but you’re her cousin ...her family. You held that burden too so hearing the rumors go around the University probably made you uncomfortable right? I’m sure you were worri-”

The younger girl suddenly embraced Yena with tightly and they quietly stayed in that position with past thoughts flowing in their minds. Nako knew that Sakura must of heard all the things that went around the University but she herself was scared to talk to Sakura about it. To know that her close friends now know, at least they can now confide with each other in helping her cousin be happy again. She felt as if a boulder finally lifted off her shoulders after holding it up for a long time. ‘.....thank you Yena.’

“I love you Yena unnie…thanks for always being there for Sakuchan. You were scared and yet you and your friend asked anyway…I hope to be brave enough to talk to her about it." Nako spoke as small tears started forming at the corner of her eyes.

“Be brave with no regrets okay! I love you too Nako ya whooooaAAAAAAAAA??? Wait, I didn't mean to make you cry! Don't cry! Now I feel guilty!!”

"Ahahaha....it's okay Yena, it's tears of joy you know?"

"Yeah but...I just never seen you cry before..."

"Hahaha...don't tell anybody okay?"

"Yeah yeah you can trust this unnie! Anyway it's nice seeing you Nako ya but I have to go now....remember what I said though. Don't burden that cute little head of yours okay?"

"Yeah, I got it unnie. Thanks for the talk and I hope to see you soon maybe?"

"Call or text me whenever you want! Peace and love Nako ya!! Oh yeah, don't let Kkura unnie teach you any more jokes!" Yena yelled as she quickly backed away while waving at her younger friend.

"It's all mine! She has her own jokes for you! Bye bye Yena unnie, love you!!" Nako yelled back.

Yena stopped after she heard and tilted her head. 'Oh man....I need to come up with more jokes to counterbalance these two...their levels are getting high. I'll be in trouble once they're more fluent in Korean!'

"Okay...but don’t double team me whenever you two are together with me okay?! Ja mata Nako yaaaaaaa!” Yena resumed her walk backwards while watching the younger girl getting smaller and smaller from her vision.

‘I hope you and Sakura can finally talk to each other about it...so please be happy okay Nako?’

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

-10:40am-

“Kkura unnie, Hyewon unnie!? You two know each other!? Hyewon unnie, I thought you said you didn’t know her!” voiced Minju who was now in front of the 2.

“Sorry Minguri ah, I never met Kkura until yesterday but it turned out that she was the online friend I was talking about who was gonna do the gaming event tomorrow! We never told each other our real names because of reasons but yeah...also she was Yena’s roommate all along! Can you believe that?!”

“Really ...Kkura, you're Yena unnie’s roommate?! Ahhhhh...unnie, we kept turning down Yena’s offer to go to her dorm all the time and Kkura unnie was there all along. I feel so sad now…..” spoke Minju who started to pout at the new information.

“Hehehe what a small world huh? Also you’re looking beautiful as always Minju! That pout...if looks could kill, I’d be dead from your cuteness!”

“Ohhhh Kkura unnie, you're so silly hehehe….”

“Hmmmm…….?” ‘Kkura seems pretty affectionate with Minju….’

“Oh Kkura unnie, I finished those photos of you yesterday! I’ll give it to you later today if you want it! I even made a big poster of your favorite photo!”

“Really!? Oh thank you Minju ah, you’re such a treasure!” Sakura voiced with a bright smile and then grabbed Minju’s hand and held it affectionately.

‘Whaaaaat…..they are that close?!’ thought Hyewon as she stared at their hands together wide eyed.

“Come here, I want a hug! You’re just so precious! How much should I pay you?” Sakura couldn’t get enough of the beautiful redhead as she pulled her in for a big hug.

“Kku-Kkura unnie!! Umm it-it’s free! Don’t pay me anything!” Minju smiled widely while blushing a deep pink as she held the blonde close. 'Back again hehehe....'

Meanwhile a raven haired woman stood with hung open. ‘Whaaaaaaatt…...do they hug each other like this all the time!?!’

After a few moments, Sakura let go and voiced an idea to them.

“Hye Kangchan, let’s invite Minju over tomorrow! I invited someone else too, it’ll be fun! Plus Yena’s gonna be there too.”

“OooooOOoo please! Can I come?! I want to see your competition and I don’t have anything to do tomorrow!”

“I remember you asking me at the cafe that you wanted to watch so sure, you can come. But you’re gonna watch me kick your precious Kkura unnie’s the whole time. She’ll like it too...she’ll like it very much.” spoke Hyewon with a little hint of jealousy. A little.

“Oh is that so? I beg to differ Kangchan! You’re gonna feel it when I take you down!”

“I hope I do feel it…take me down all you want, anywhere and anytime.” Hyewon smiled mischievously.

“Confident huh? I’ll show you everything I’ve got!” Sakura answered back.

“OoooOooo yes I’d love that Kkura so please do. Show me everything please, I beg of you Kkura.”

“I will! You’ll be steaming red with anger when I come out on top!”

“Yes, be on top and make me red! I’d love to see th-”

*cough* *cough*

“AHEM! AHEMMMMM!! AHEMMMMM.....Ahem....hmmmm...Kkura unnie ...Hyewon unnie ...uhhh” Minju was a bright shade of red. ‘WHAT JUST HAPPENED…..literally WHAT did I just hear ...do they speak like this ALL the time online!? WHA-’

“Minju!!! Are you okay? Did you get sunburned?” questioned Sakura after seeing Minju bright red. She then stood up from the bench to check up on the flustered girl.

“Nononononono, I-I’m okay! Really!” ‘Kkura unnie, did you not hear what you and Hyewon unnie was saying?! I thought I was innocent but even I can hear wh-’

Sakura proceeded to touch Minju’s forehead and checked her face with her hands just to make sure she was okay which startled the poor redhead.

“Kk-Kkura un-unnie! I’m...I’m fine! Yo-you don’t have to-to-to che-”

“Nope, you seem okay ...you have really pretty eyes do you know that? It’s even prettier up close ...do you have stars built in them? They seem to always shine so bright when I look into them.”

“KKURA UNNIE!!!!!” Minju yelled in surprise at how close Sakura was in proximity of her face.

“.....................” ‘Kkura’s doing this on purpose…..she’s gotta be. Don’t get jealous Hyewon ...don't...get...freaking jealous.’ thought Hyewon as she watched the 2 like a hawk as she crossed her arms.

“Hehehe you’re just so cuuuuuuuuute.” Sakura sang in a sing song voice as she finally stepped away from the girl and sat back down next to Hyewon ...who's giving Sakura the 'suspicious eyes' treatment.

“Ummm...thank you Kkura unnie. I actually have to go now since I have class soon but I would’ve loved to stay and hang out with you guys. Can you tell me what time the event starts?”

“Around 12 is when it’ll start but you can come anytime. Sad to see you go but thanks to you, my day has shined brighter!” said Sakura as she reached her hand out to Minju.

“.....................” ‘Is she a fan of Minju too or something? It’s so unexpected to see both of them so lovey dovey…..’

Minju reached out and grabbed Sakura’s hand and held it.

“Awwwww thank you Kkura unnie! You make my day bright too! And Hyewon unnie, I left some gopchang in the fridge, I ate some yesterday so you can have it if you want! Bye bye and see you two tomorrow!!”

Minju then let go of Sakura’s hand and backed away from them while waving goodbye. She started walking towards the university once she got about 20 feet away from them, she turned to wave at them again and finally went on her way.

“Oh Minju….so adorable….” said Sakura as she looked fondly at the fading outline of Minju.

*cough* “Ahem…..so I see that you two are pretty close hmm.”

“Yeah, she’s such a cutie right?” questioned Sakura, now looking at Hyewon ...who’s pouting for some reason.

“I want to be close too.”

“Huh? Aren’t you already close?”

“4 months of online close, not in real life. It’s been less than a day”

“Well that true I guess…but you got that you know?”

“The kiss? I want more of that but I know you won't let me so let me hug you.” voiced Hyewon out of the blue.

“Huh?”

“Let me hug you Kkura.”

“Why so suddenly?”

“Why the questions? I just want a hug too you know…”

“.....wait…..are you jealous? Wow, I’d never thought I would see the legendary trash talking KwangBae jealous of little old Cherry here. It’s kind of weird seeing you like this considering how much you used to troll me in games and call me an ogre, troll or what not.

“But...that’s different!”

“Hehehe is it? I'm not gonna make it easy for you Kangchan.”

“Why?! Now you’re being the old Tsun Tsun Cherry again!”

“Hehehehe I'm just kidding! I'm sorry okay so come here!” Sakura smiled and happily opened her arms to Hyewon sitting next to her.

“No.....are you saying this is gonna be a challenge then? To get you?”

“A challenge? Oh Kangchan...why would I do that?” Sakura smirked mischievously.

“You know what ...if you want to play it that way, I’ll accept your challenge.”

“Really now? But I didn't say anything about being a challe-”

“I’m willing to go Gear 2nd for you Kkura!”

“.....whoa ...calm down Luffy. Not Gear 4th though hehehe? Come on, come get this hug now because my arms are getting tired.”

“Gear 4th!? OF COURSE! You see?! You actually know One Piece! You’re a nerd like me and I love that about you.” voiced Hyewon who seemed extremely happy to hear that Sakura know what she's saying.

“Being a ner-” Sakura lowered her tired arms seeing that Hyewon is psyched up now. '......I actually kind of wanted that hug.'

“YAAAAAAAH, stop acting dense! You are my One Piece! You are my challenge!” yelled Hyewon cutting off Sakura.

".........but we don’t even know what One Piece is. The manga hasn’t finis-.”

“Because you are my end goal Kkura! Like in Super Mario Bros, Mario goes through the levels to save the Princess at the end right?! A challenge ends with the player reaching the goal. We just started this game but "you" are on top of the castle at the peak of the mountain and even from that distance, I can see you shining like a beacon from down below! Me? I'm at the bottom!! Always......I'm always at the bottom......every...single...time.”

Hyewon yelled passionately which startled Sakura after feeling the change in the atmosphere. Hyewon then looked down at her hands ...questioning herself. 'Screw it, I'll just say what's in my mind!'

“I know there’s gonna be other players in this game...maybe some who started before or even after me…..but I sure as hell won’t skip levels to get to you. I’ll play the game as is and I’ll get to you on my own accord....that's my journey towards you Kkura. The journey is what makes a person grow right? And even if I do get up top…..even if you aren't willing to accept me as the winning player…..I'm willing to wait a week, 4 months, 3 years or even a decade...just to save you. You.....you are my Princess.” Hyewon divulged her inner thoughts and ended it in a near whisper.

Hyewon didn’t dare to look up at the girl sitting beside her who heard every word clearly. The blonde herself could only silently stare at the younger girl with agape after hearing Hyewon “confess”. For this short amount of time that she’s been with Hyewon, she finally saw her fully expressed herself....her raw emotions. And even for this short time, she could tell how difficult it was for the raven haired girl.....and it was all because of her.

“........................”

“........................”

“Kan-”

“Shhhhh…..I know that was nerdy as all hell but I think you know what I’m trying to get at. I have a LOT more that I want to say to you but I’ll do that another time...when it’s right.”

Hyewon finally lifted her head and looked at Sakura. Unknown to the blonde were the tears that formed at the corner of Hyewon’s eyes which finally ran down when she lifted her head up to look at Sakura. They flowed freely like a river showing her how desperate she feels for the blonde.

“Please ...just please wait for me…okay Kkura?”

Sakura saw the sincerity and longing in the eyes staring back. She could feel that Hyewon wanted to say more but held it off and it made her feel guilty.

‘Hyewon….you really do feel this way for me. We’ve just started being friends but you’ve already fell this deep…..for me?’ she thought as she looked down. She let off a sheepish smile and looked back up.

“You’re a mysterious person you know that? I’ve always thought that whenever I talked to you online. That made me wonder if you would still be the same person while speaking face to face but here you are now. You are the same and I hope that never changes. There were times when you said something that completely took me off guard...and it’s always in a good way. So yeah...I’ll wait. I don’t know how long you’ll take but I’ll wait. For you, I promise."

".......thank you Kkura.” half whispered Hyewon.

“.......Kangchan.” Sakura lifted her hands to wipe Hyewon’s face but the latter only turned away as if she didn’t want to be touched. The small but simple denial shook Sakura deeply and guilt instantly filled her thoughts. '.....Kangchan? Why?'

“Once we take these posters back to the dorm, I’ll have to go do something afterwards. I know you wanted to go eat with your cousin later so I’ll leave you be until then." said Hyewon as she stood up and turned away from Sakura.

“Yeah…......okay. Ummm....are....are you ready for that hug you asked for earlier? I want to give it to you if you don't mind.” Sakura answered back. She then stood up also. 'Please......Hyewon?'

Silence filled the daytime air around them. The world moved on, students walked back and forth, birds flew high and the clouds swirled slowly in the sky but in the small space between them, not even 3 feet away from each other, it felt like time stopped.

No answer ever came from Hyewon.

Hyewon started to walk and leave Sakura behind who only stood and watch as the girl leave. 'Hyewon.' As she stared Hyewon's shrinking figure, she slowly chased after her feeling that Hyewon wanted some distance between them. As they both walked towards the dorm with Hyewon leading, they both had questions in their minds that wanted to ask each other but they had to save it for a later time.

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

-10:52am-

The two finally reach the dorm. Both too nervous to say a word once they got in. Hyewon then placed the posters on the dining table and quickly headed back straight to the door. Sakura chased her towards the door and she then finally broke their walk of silence.

“Kangchan...are you coming to back to my dorm tonight? I want to see you later. In fact, I'd love to see you later....please?”

“..............I’ll see you tomorrow.” Hyewon opened the door and was halfway out.

“Wait!!! I’m gonna cook something special and delicious for you.....one of a kind! It will be full of Love....with ALL my heart! Would you please consider….......Hyewon?” Sakura pleaded, her voice almost cracking. 'Please Hyewon.....stay with me. I'm a fool. I don't know what to think right now and I'm sure you feel the same. If you leave.....I'll wait for you.....I promise....and I hope you'll come back."

The silence from before came back but it felt even more personal.

“................”

“................”

“Have a wonderful afternoon. Tomorrow, may the best player win so don't hold back okay? I'll know if you do. I'll see you tomorrow so good bye for now....Kkura.” answered Hyewon.

'I'm sorry Sakura...I didn't mean to confess so suddenly. My mind is a mess right now and I'm sure yours is too right? I want you....I really want you.....but is it too early? I don't know......but I'll tell you when I know that I'm ready....I'm sure you'll do the same for me right?'

As she closed the door behind her, she turned to look at Sakura and their eyes met. Regret. Both of them felt it as the doors finally came to a close.

Is it too early to fall? Trying things too quick will often backfire or so they say. Feelings can be fickle things especially to people who are scared. Their relationship online before was just a seed at first but it slowly started to grow. Only time will tell if it will blossom into something more....

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

"Speech"

'thoughts'