“Is this really a good idea?”

“I told you, it’ll be fine. This is the last chance you’ll get to see her before she goes off to college, so take it or leave it, Dahyun.”

Dahyun gulped as Jeongyeon pressed the buzzer at the front gate. She steeled herself when she heard the particularly loud voice of the popular Im Nayeon blare through the small intercom.

“Who is it?!” Nayeon was clearly yelling, although the muffled sounds of a crowd in the background made it easy to understand why.

“Hey there, Nabongs,” Jeongyeon greeted, with a cheeky tone in her voice that elicited a groan almost immediately from the other end.

The gate in front of them opened. “Just get in here, Yoo.”

Jeongyeon smirked to herself victoriously as she dug her hands into her leather jacket’s pockets and began her walk along the pavement toward the front of the house ahead. Dahyun blinked as she stayed alongside her friend, registering the amount of wealth it must have required to own the land let alone maintain it – was that at least three floors?

She shivered, intimidated by the sight. “I still can’t believe that you, of all people, know Nayeon well enough to go to one of her parties.”

“This one is for all of the third-years, relax,” Jeongyeon chuckled, rolling her eyes. “Besides, what is that supposed to mean?”

Dahyun smirked. “You always call her annoying, don’t you? Plus, you’re not exactly in the school’s demographic that I’d expect her to send invitations to.”

“Using the word ‘demographic’ casually in conversation like that is exactly why you don’t get invited to these things, you know.”

“Excuse me?” Dahyun gasped, feigning offense. “I am a big name, an A-lister. If I’m not there, it’s by choice, I assure you.”

Jeongyeon shook her head and smiled softly. “Glad to see your defense mechanism is working.”

Dahyun frowned. “I can’t be funny?”

“You are, and that’s why I like you. But you also push yourself a lot when you’re nervous or stressed, right? Just relax, it’s a party.” Jeongyeon smiled, walking up the front steps and pressing the doorbell beside a large set of double doors. “You’re great, just believe it.”

“Thanks.” The sentiment was appreciated, even if Dahyun often struggled to believe that Jeongyeon meant what she said when it came to kind words about her. She plastered on a small smile anyway. Really, she should have just accepted it at this point, given that her friendship with Jeongyeon was an unlikely match to begin with, and so there was no reason for Jeongyeon to lie.

Jeongyeon was a third-year who wore punk-styled clothes, and she could be incredibly quiet in a way that still somehow managed to exude a confident aura around her even if she was sitting alone in a corner; one might say she seemed selectively anti-social, given that she was a smug goof when anyone got to know her for more than a minute. Meanwhile, Dahyun was a diligent student who was prone to the occasional goofball moment herself when surrounded by the right people. She didn’t consider herself to be popular by any means but, despite that, she had caught the attention of her third-year friend during the past year and they had become good friends.

One of the front doors opened, followed by a huffing Nayeon. “Really? You could just come in.”

“What?” Jeongyeon shrugged. “I shouldn’t enter unless personally greeted. Aren’t you the host?”

Nayeon’s eye twitched, but not without a passive-aggressive smile. “How vampiric of you, though I suppose that’s fitting, given that you all of the life force out of my body.”

Jeongyeon grinned cheekily. “A diet’s a diet, what can I say?”

“Ugh,” Nayeon groaned, rolling her eyes. Then she seemed to notice Dahyun, finally. “Do I know you?”

Dahyun opened to speak, “Uh—”

“She’s with me,” Jeongyeon cut in.

Nayeon scratched her head. “I mean, I’m not trying to offend you or anything. But it’s just that this is a party for third-years, since we’re graduating. Aren’t you an undercla—”

Jeongyeon’s voice became a little firmer. “She’s with me, Nabongs. Leave it.”

“I’m sorry,” Dahyun muttered, unsure of where to look. The doorframe suddenly seemed so much more interesting.

Nayeon’s gazed traveled between the two before shrugging. “Fine. It’s not like you brought a pack of first-years or anything.”

“Vampires have clans, Nabongs.”

“Just shut up and get in, holy .”

Nayeon moved to the side, fully opening the door and allowing Jeongyeon and Dahyun to step into the foyer. Dahyun tried to slip in the fact that she was actually a second-year as she passed Nayeon, but the latter was very quick to get into host mode as soon as the door closed behind them.

“Alright, so you know the layout.” Dahyun, in fact, did not know the layout. “Catering is on the dining table down that way and to the right. Extra food will be coming around ten since I doubt what we have now will be enough to feed one hundred mouths, but there will be snacks the entire time. Usually the second floor is an option, but we’re putting in new doors and some of them aren’t fully replaced so they’re being super finicky, which means no going upstairs. First floor should be enough space since we opened the backyard and the pool. Feel free to swim, of course.”

The interior was already incredibly large, so Dahyun couldn’t really imagine what the backyard could possibly look like. Nayeon’s voice seemed to fade as they walked deeper into the party, her welcome speech drowned out by the vaguely overwhelming volume of chatter that was beginning to surround them. There weren’t many doors on the first floor, with many spacious rooms connecting to others through ornate archways, accented by gorgeous pillars throughout halls of the ground floor. Dahyun wished that she could, for even a moment, see the full scope of the décor and design without being hindered by hordes of bodies blocking her view.

Many people already had plates, talking to one another in groups that Dahyun could sort of recognize from cliques in the hallway back at school. All the visible chairs were taken, with the bonus of people leaning or sitting on armrests and on one another’s lap for a mere chance at having somewhere to sit. Dahyun could spot multiple speakers hooked into corners of the ceiling, playing popular music that had a few groups dancing in place throughout the house.

As she held onto the back of Jeongyeon’s jacket, they made their way to what finally seemed to be the end of the house, the corridor splitting between an extravagant kitchen and what was obviously the dining room with the catering spread along a gargantuan table. The long wall shared between the two was covered in floor-to-ceiling windows with square pane muntins, beyond which was the backyard. Partygoers were already outside, some of which were already in the large pool or jumping off the gorgeous rock features in order to dive into the deep end. People were littered around the outdoor patio, plastic cups in hand that were undoubtedly b with alcohol, if Dahyun had to guess.

“Oh, is that the end of the tour?” Jeongyeon’s voice tore Dahyun away from her observations. They were still halfway through the kitchen. “And I was starting to enjoy the museum.”

Nayeon shook her head, exasperated. “I need a drink.”

“You haven’t started yet?”

“No, I like to wait until the devil herself arrives before popping open the champagne.”

“Drinking to me now?” Jeongyeon grinned cheekily. “Didn’t know I was that special.”

Nayeon rolled her eyes and directed her gaze toward Dahyun. “Do you need a drink?”

Dahyun smiled, albeit awkwardly. “That’d be great, thanks.”

“Cool,” Nayeon smiled and, whether it was polite or genuine, Dahyun was relieved that it held no passive-aggression like the ones that had been reserved for Jeongyeon. “I’ll be right back then, stay here.”

Dahyun blinked as she watched Nayeon turn and open one of the full-length windows, which was apparently also a door, and her eyes quickly glanced around the kitchen at the bottles of alcohol. “Aren’t the drinks already in here?”

Jeongyeon shrugged, leaning her arm on Dahyun’s shoulder. “Beers are probably outside while the harder stuff is in here.”

“I can totally handle the harder stuff,” Dahyun scoffed in jest.

“It’s good to start with,” Jeongyeon chuckled. “I hope she grabs me one too.”

“Considering how you were acting, I’d be surprised if she did. You always call her annoying but I’m starting to think you’ve got it turned around, Jeong.”

A laugh. “Please! It’s a mutual annoyance, if anything. She’s just in host mode, so she’s too on edge. Once she loosens up a little bit, I’m sure she’ll be her normal pain-in-the- self.”

Dahyun was beginning to feel skeptical about the sincerity of Jeongyeon’s complaints during the past school year, but she didn’t have a chance to voice it when Nayeon came back inside with three bottles of beer. Walking over to a nearby counter, she quickly popped the caps off before handing the bottles to Jeongyeon and Dahyun.

“To a peaceful” — Nayeon paused and shot a glare toward Jeongyeon — “and fun night.”

Jeongyeon and Dahyun both chuckled as they clinked their bottles with Nayeon’s, and they took their first sips of the evening. Dahyun wasn’t much of a drinker – she rarely got the opportunity to in general – but she was hoping that one beer would be enough for the night. She wanted to be as coherent as possible as she scanned the rooms because she didn’t want to miss what – well, who – she was searching for.

Jeongyeon nudged Dahyun gently before pointing her own bottle at Nayeon. “So where are your buddies, Nayeon? Why aren’t you with them?”

“I’m just waiting until I feel sure that no one is going to break anything,” Nayeon answered, leaning against the counter. “My parents will kill me if anything gets damaged.”

“My parents wouldn’t even let me get to the point of hosting a party,” Dahyun commented, and she was grateful that Nayeon chuckled softly. Dahyun could understand her popularity. Nayeon was often casted as the female leads for all their performances at school because of her singing skills, but she had also been an incredibly active and social butterfly with school activities, at least from what Dahyun witnessed in her two years so far. She could also understand why so many people fell for Im Nayeon; her natural bunny-toothed smile was something else entirely.

“Yeah, I’m pretty lucky. Even if my parents know, I want to be careful.”

“It’s good so far, I think. You might as well hang with them now before people get drunker and are more likely to break things,” Jeongyeon added, taking another sip at the same time as Nayeon. Dahyun made sure to join in, feeling like she had missed some unsaid interval of drinking that others knew.

“Yeah… I’ll go hang with them for a bit,” Nayeon mumbled, but she was quick to smirk back at Jeongyeon. “Why are you so interested in where they are? Are you going to pretend to ask Momo for the money she owes you?”

“Pretend? Please, it’s a debt she has to pay some time!”

Nayeon snorted. “We all know you’re a big softie around her, Yoo. Everyone is. You’re not going to ask her to pay you back.”

“There are only so many times I’m going to buy her lunch!”

Dahyun sighed, taking another sip of her beverage. They had only been here for a little bit and she was already feeling left out, although she was grateful that Jeongyeon hadn’t abandoned her. But she didn’t know the third-years’ dynamics – it was new information, as is, to find out that Jeongyeon bought lunch for Hirai Momo at all or ever – and there was very little she could add to the conversation, so she mostly kept her eyes elsewhere as a means of distraction. She noticed that there was another set of stairs beside the fridge, likely so that the second floor had a means of getting to the first from both ends of the house. God, this house is huge.

If she hadn’t decided to tune them out so quickly, perhaps she would have noticed the way that Jeongyeon gestured toward her when speaking to Nayeon about something Dahyun hadn’t been listening to.

“Come on, we’re going to go say hi,” Jeongyeon suddenly said, catching Dahyun’s attention as she grabbed Dahyun’s sleeve and pulled her along while they followed Nayeon down the hallway. Being dragged down a corridor wasn’t exactly Dahyun’s expectation on how she’d be traversing throughout the party, but she wasn’t even sure that she ever really had expectations to begin with. She only had one in mind, which was to be lucky enough to even catch a glimpse of –

“Sana! Momo!” Nayeon groaned, falling dramatically into the miniscule space between her two best friends on a couch in the living room. Dahyun gulped, quickly chugging down some more of her beer in some desperate attempt to relax her nerves. She wanted to look elsewhere, but the magnetism of a smile proved to be way too strong to pull away from.

She couldn’t help that Minatozaki Sana looked more beautiful than ever tonight.
 

“I hate running late,” Dahyun groaned, holding her books tightly to her chest as she fast-walked her way down the hall alongside her best friend. Sprinting wasn’t exactly allowed.

Chaeyoung chuckled. “Versus what? The people who love it?”

“Har har,” Dahyun said sarcastically, shaking her head as Chaeyoung winked before turning into a nearby classroom. “You can afford to be cheeky, you have the closer room!”

It fell on deaf ears, given that it was more like a whispered hiss to begin with, as Chaeyoung fully disappeared into her class. Dahyun’s was further away, toward the opposite side of the school from the entrance that she and Chaeyoung often used when taking the bus together. They should have just used the main entrance by the front office, but habits were like muscle memory amid panic.

Dahyun was only a month into her first year of high school. “Being a little late to one quiz is fine, definitely fine. I studied a lot; I can probably finish it quick despite missing the first ten minutes.”

She could feel the temptation to break into a sprint nagging at her with every other step, but she liked to follow the rules. If she was already late, there was no point in risking trouble on top of it just to get there quicker. Plus, if she had gone any faster, she would have done some serious damage to the two girls who had suddenly turned the corner of the nearest hallway intersection, consequently causing Dahyun to fall.

“Are you okay?! I’m sorry!”

Dahyun was already nodding, not even bothering to look up as she scrambled to pick up her books once she collected herself.

“We both know you’re clumsy, but this is pretty impressive for a first day.” It was a different voice.

“Shut up, Momo… Hey, you – let me help you, please.”

“No, no, it’s oka—” Dahyun had begun to say as she lifted her head, but she couldn’t help but stop and blink twice at the nearing face of who was arguably the prettiest girl she had ever seen. Time felt as though it had crawled to a slow, and the panic over being late to class seemed to fade. The squatting girl paused for a moment at Dahyun’s bewildered expression, but she offered a sympathetic smile before bringing her attention back to the spilled books.

“These are a lot of books,” the girl commented. “You must be taking hard courses.”

Dahyun, finally snapping out of it, nodded and awkwardly took the books from the girl’s hands. “It’s been okay so far, I’m okay; totally, definitely okay.”

“I bet,” the girl who still stood – Momo – said with a small chuckle.

The squatter shot Momo a glare before smiling back at Dahyun. “I’m Minatozaki Sana. This is Hirai Momo. We just transferred here today, but we’re kind of lost right now.”

“Kim Dahyun,” Dahyun mumbled, willing herself to stand despite her nerves. As Sana stood back up beside Momo, it was easier to recognize that both girls were, for lack of a better word, stunning. And it was like a spell because, despite already running late, Dahyun couldn’t resist asking, “Do you need help?”

Momo was quick to nod. “It’d be a dumb offer to refuse considering we haven’t run into anyone since the main office. We have no idea where we’re going.”

“But only if you can,” Sana added, passing a noticeable glance to the stack of books in Dahyun’s hands. “We don’t want to take up your time.”

“No, it’s fine,” Dahyun lied, offering a wide smile. The two transfer students’ own lips curved upward at the sight, clearly grateful for the aid. “Where are you headed?”

Sana took a schedule from her pocket and pointed at the first block. “Momo and I are both going to this one.”

“You’re second-years?” Dahyun inquired, furrowing her brow at the schedule. The listed courses were definitely not for first-years but they weren’t as advanced as third-year classes. She glanced up at the two girls, watching as they nodded enthusiastically with giddy grins. It was hard to resist a blush when they were so cute. She handed the paper back to Sana and started walking in a different direction. “Alright, let’s go.”

It wasn’t that the two girls had excluded Dahyun from their conversation – in fact, they seemed to try very hard to get her to take part through small questions dependent on whatever topic came up between them – but she felt too nervous to properly contribute to any of it. When they asked her questions, such as what her favorite cafeteria meal was, she would flash a grin and answer a little too quickly. They didn’t seem to mind, or they might have also just caught the hint; Dahyun couldn’t be sure, but she felt embarrassed at her awkwardness all the same.

“Here it is,” she proclaimed with a goofy arm gesture toward the door.

Momo grinned, giving a small bow. “Thank you, Dahyun.” She nudged Dahyun’s shoulder as she passed into the classroom, which seemed to hush quickly at the sight of a new girl.

But then Dahyun was left with Sana, whose small smile was somehow just as bright as her wide one. Her eyes crinkled in such a way that Dahyun felt both calm and on edge simultaneously, so she couldn’t help but gulp as Sana neared her with a single step, just out of sight from the door way.

“Thank you for your help, Dahyun. I’m lucky that the first JYP student I met was you.”

Dahyun blushed furiously, waving a hand dismissively. “It was nothing. It was the least I could do for bumping into you.”

“We bumped into each other, don’t take all the credit,” Sana chided with a soft giggle.

Dahyun didn’t have a chance to give a response before Momo came back out of the room, a slip of paper in her hand. She also shot Dahyun a small smile upon giving her the paper which, upon closer inspection, was a signed slip from the second-years’ teacher regarding her being excused for having helped two transfer students.

“For your hard work,” Momo clarified with a smile.

Dahyun grinned. “This actually helps a lot, thank you.”

Momo nodded before grabbing Sana’s hand. “We should both head in, he knows we’re out here.”

“Alright,” Sana agreed before looking back at Dahyun. “Don’t forget to say hi later when you see us again, okay?”

Dahyun gulped at the sincerity in Sana’s eyes. “Okay.”
 

But she never did.

The memory faded back into the recesses of her mind once she felt Jeongyeon gently patting her back, and she found that the three girls on the couch were looking at them.

Jeongyeon nudged them closer. “Hey, you two!”

Momo nodded. “Hey!”

“Hi Jeongyeon,” Sana greeted, just before smiling at Dahyun. She seemed pleasantly surprised, and Dahyun didn’t know how to feel about it. “Kim Dahyun! What are you doing here?”

Thankfully, Jeongyeon swooped in to answer while Dahyun fought the ball in . “She’s with me! Figured I’d show her the cool kid life.”

Momo snorted. “You’re a bad influence if a house party with alcohol is showing her the cool kid life.”

“There’s nothing cool about Jeongyeon,” Nayeon grumbled, and Dahyun was shocked she heard it at all above the party’s loud chatter throughout the house. A beat passed before Nayeon seemed to register the situation, and she looked between Momo and Sana before pointing her beer bottle at Dahyun. “Oh, so you two know her as well?”

Dahyun’s throat finally rediscovered functionality. “It’s been a while, huh?”

It had been over a year since Dahyun had met the two girls, and so it pained her a bit to see how pleasantly surprised and happy that both Momo and Sana seemed to be at seeing her again in closer proximity. I really wasted all that time, didn’t I?

“How have you been, Dahyun?” Momo asked excitedly, patting her lap.

Dahyun glanced between Momo and her lap. “Pardon?”

“Come sit! Standing .”

She wasn’t sure why, but Dahyun found herself glancing at Sana, who seemed to catch her gaze.

“If you hurt Momo’s feelings, I may never forgive you,” Sana joked, pointing her chin in Momo’s direction with a smile.

Although Sana’s voice had clearly been laced with lighthearted amusement, Dahyun didn’t want to risk being in a negative position with her, of all people. A smile, albeit a little awkward, made its way onto Dahyun’s face as she moved over toward Momo and sat on her legs, facing forward. That, apparently, wasn’t what Momo wanted, because the older girl was quick to adjust Dahyun around until she was sideways, facing Momo and the rest of the girls.

Jeongyeon, without warning or hesitance, sat herself down on Nayeon’s lap in a less cautious manner, causing the latter to yelp.

“Get off of me!” Nayeon whined, gently punching the back of Jeongyeon’s jacket.

Jeongyeon shrugged.

“Sana is right here! I don’t want you here!”

Sana smirked, clearly amused. “I think Jeongyeon found a good seat, let’s not move her.”

Momo giggled at Nayeon and Jeongyeon, and Dahyun was becoming so hyperaware of Momo’s arms around her own waist that she was absentmindedly taking multiple short sips in a short span of time. She genuinely couldn’t tell if she was just uncomfortable or if she was just nervous, or maybe it was both.

“Hey, is this not okay?” Momo suddenly asked near Dahyun’s ear, which caused the latter to shiver. Nayeon, Jeongyeon, and Sana seemed to be lost in a separate conversation, but Momo was close enough to hear above the rest of the noise.

Dahyun met Momo’s eyes, and something about them made her want to tell the truth. “I feel like this is weird because I don’t know you too well.”

“Is it because you’re worried I’m coming onto you?” Momo asked with a soft, yet somehow smug, smile.

Heat rushed to Dahyun’s cheeks instantly. “Are you?”

Momo’s giggle was as cute as Dahyun remembered. “Nope! I actually have a girlfriend.”

“Really?”

“Yep! She’s not here, though. She’s not really into this sort of thing, and I wanted to hang out with Nayeon and Sana.” Momo glanced over at the two girls. “She’s in your year, you might know her.”

Dahyun blinked. “Really? Who?”

“Myoui Mina?”

“Oh wow, yeah!” Dahyun gave a small smile. “I had her in one of my history courses; she was really polite, but she was kind of quiet from what I remember. I don’t know her too well.”

Momo grinned. “Sounds like her. She’s really cute, you should talk to her and be friends.”

Dahyun wasn’t sure at what point she had become comfortable enough to chuckle genuinely. “Do you want everyone you know to be connected? Or are you just being a nice girlfriend and wanting to get her more friends?”

“Hey, it’s a good idea, isn’t it?” Momo was suddenly very enthusiastic. “Think about it! Just one big circle of good friends, and then when we get older and have our own homes and families, then all our children can all be friends! I’m thinking about the children!”

Dahyun giggled. “That’s very forward thinking.”

Momo’s smile softened. “Do you feel a little better now?”

“I’m not used to being on a pretty girl’s lap, let alone being held at the same time,” Dahyun spluttered out very quickly, with half a chuckle thrown in there. The beer bottle met her lips again, and she found herself finishing what remained inside.

“I think you’re hitting on me now.” Momo snickered. “But really, do you want me to let go or something? I don’t want you to have to feel weird.”

Dahyun paused, allowing herself to quietly observe the other three girls on the couch. Nayeon seemed to be resigned to the fact that Jeongyeon designated her as free real estate, and the two were speaking enthusiastically with Sana over something that was clearly causing her to laugh and smile. Even with the sounds around them, her laughter rang like a bell in Dahyun’s ears, calling her attention like it always had even in the hallways, even if Dahyun never managed the courage to answer it.

Momo’s bouncing knee caught her attention. “Dahyun?”

“Sorry, I –”

“It’s okay.” Momo chuckled. “You seemed a little out of it when we first met, too.”

. Dahyun blushed. “I did?”

“It was cute! Plus, you helped us out and seemed nice even though you were also kind of nervous, I think.” Momo blinked. “Oh, was it because you thought we were pretty then too?”

Dahyun groaned.

Momo frowned. “Is that why you never wanted to say hi to us?”

“No, I –” Dahyun whipped her head back around to face Momo, her eye twitching at the frown. She sighed – “I don’t know. It felt like you two were out of my league and were just being polite. At the time, I didn’t think you had meant it when you said to talk another time.” A part of her wasn’t lying, but deep down she remembered how Sana had looked at her, and how Dahyun knew the girl’s sincerity was to be trusted. “I was afraid.”

“Out of your league?” Momo pouted. “What are you talking about? Have you seen yourself? Sana and I agreed that you’re super cute!”

Dahyun’s eyes widened. “You and Sana?”

Momo furrowed her brow for a moment before smirking. “Oh… so that’s what it is.”

“What?”

“You know, I did think back then that you were flustered by her, so I shouldn’t be shocked that you’re the panicked-gay type.”

Dahyun wasn’t sure how much more heat her face could handle, and the alcohol wasn’t helping. “Wh-What are you talking about?”

Momo leaned in, pulling Dahyun a bit closer and whispering into her ear. “You like Sana?”

“Me?!” Dahyun didn’t mean to be so loud, but thankfully it didn’t come off that way with the party muffling them. She gently shoved Momo’s shoulder and plastered on an awfully fake open-mouthed smile. “Please. I never said that!”

Momo’s smug grin didn’t settle. “Is that why Jeongyeon brought you here?”

“Shut up,” Dahyun half hissed, half begged. The overly delighted giggle from Momo proved that Dahyun wasn’t very good at being threatening. She leaned in to assure that her words would just be between the two of them. “She’s pretty! What do you want from me? To say I’m blind?”

Momo squinted at the proximity, staring into Dahyun’s eyes. “I mean, those are contacts, right?”

Dahyun deadpanned, and felt the regret of finishing her beverage when she realized that she couldn’t occupy herself with something else by drinking more.

“Sana is single, you know.” Momo shrugged.

Dahyun scoffed. “Your point?”

Momo smiled and opened to speak, but Jeongyeon prevented any words from coming out when she swiveled on Nayeon’s lap toward Dahyun and Momo. “Momo, want to play ping pong?”

“Yes,” Momo answered after a beat, and Dahyun stood up to let Momo get up from the couch.

Sana and Nayeon seemed to be involved as well, because suddenly Dahyun felt herself being dragged yet again by Jeongyeon as they followed the group out toward the backyard.

“I thought you liked Sana, not Momo,” Jeongyeon whispered as they walked, though the subtle smirk on her proved that she was messing with Dahyun. “She’s taken, dude.”

Dahyun grimaced. “I do like Sana, I just got preoccupied with another girl demanding I sit on her lap, Jeong!”

“Did you at least ask her for flirting tips with Sana?”

“No.”

Jeongyeon rolled her eyes. “Missed opportunity. Anyway, listen. Momo and I are going to play, and Nayeon is going to grab us more drinks. I need you to sit next to Sana, you’ll have a chance to talk to her.”

“Wh-What?” Dahyun asked, registering Jeongyeon’s fast words at a slightly slower pace. But by the time Jeongyeon heard Dahyun’s question, they had already made it outside, and the older girl quickly removed her hand to join Momo in claiming the vacant ping pong table that stood beside the pool.

Dahyun fidgeted and shuffled her feet around as she stood and watched, but she could feel someone getting closer to her from behind.

“Why don’t –”

Dahyun felt the breath by her ear from behind her shoulder and jumped to the side in shock, half-shrieking, with her eyes wide as she registered that Sana had been leaning down from behind her.

“—we sit?” Sana finished with a soft giggle, pointing over to nearby patio chairs.

“S-Sure.” Dahyun nodded, still feeling slightly on edge from the surprise but also incredibly embarrassed by her outburst. She quietly sat herself down on the chair beside Sana’s once the latter took a seat. “I’m really sorry about that, I –”

“It’s fine,” Sana assured calmly, cutting Dahyun off from what would have probably been a rambling mess. She smiled, and Dahyun felt a little more relaxed. “It was my fault anyway.”

Dahyun allowed herself a small smile. “Will we always find ourselves in these situations?”

Sana raised her eyebrows. “What situations?”

“The kind where we both insist it was our fault, like how we first met.”

It took a moment to click, but Sana grinned widely at that. “You do remember!”

“Of course I do.” Dahyun bit her lip, fiddling with her fingers.

“That was over a year ago, you know,” Sana commented lightly, looking back toward the ping pong table to watch Jeongyeon and Momo play. “We haven’t talked since then! How have you been?”

“Me?” Dahyun blinked, unsure why she felt caught off-guard by the question. “Um, busy, I guess. Trying to work hard.”

Sana glanced over at Dahyun and giggled. “I assumed from that first day that you were taking harder classes, since you had so many books so early in the year.”

“Yeah.” Dahyun attempted to relax her shoulders against the back of the chair. “If I keep up my grades next year, I’ll graduate as the top of my class.”

“Really?!” Sana asked, turning half her body in the chair toward Dahyun.

Dahyun softly smiled, answering just as softly, “Yeah.”

“That’s awesome! I’m so happy for you!”

“It’s nothing, really.” Dahyun waved her hand dismissively.

Sana’s brow furrowed. “Hey, don’t sell yourself short! That’s great, really. I’m proud of you.”

Dahyun wasn’t sure what to say, but Sana held her gaze. How can you look so honest when you barely know me? 

Nayeon came into view again, approaching slowly with multiple plastic cups in her hand. She gave Sana and Dahyun each a cup, and then placed two cups by the ground near the ping pong table for Jeongyeon and Momo before returning to take a seat in the chair on the opposite side of Sana. Holding her own cup up to her lips, she sipped quietly at it.

“What’s in it?” Sana asked, peering into her the plastic. A quick glance from Dahyun into her own cup showed that the liquid was pink.

Nayeon shrugged. “Someone just made a punch. I think it’s vodka, can’t tell since it’s really fruity.”

Dahyun felt her face twist slightly at the mention of vodka, but she cautiously took a sip anyway. There was definitely a fruity flavor, probably peach, but the aftertaste was a sore reminder of what she was really drinking deep down. Still, at the sight of Sana taking in a slightly braver amount, Dahyun took a second small sip from her own.

Sana looked back to Dahyun. “So, did Jeongyeon force you to come? Or did you ask?”

Dahyun shook her head immediately. “She told me to tag along. I wouldn’t impose. I knew that it was a party for her year and not for others.”

“People might get jealous that you’re the only one here who isn’t a third-year,” Sana teased, sticking the very tip of her tongue out slightly.

“They’ll be extra shocked considering I don’t even go to these sorts of things for my own grade,” Dahyun added, smirking a bit. “Was just waiting for the right opportunity to weasel my way into a more exclusive crowd.”

Sana laughed. “Damn, and here I was imagining you were some wild party girl. Turns out you’re just a sly fox.” She had pumped her eyebrows at the last part with a sly smile, and Dahyun had to swallow down the anxiety building in . Sana took another hefty swig of her drink.

“Trying to use my home to up your social status, Kim?” Nayeon leaned in on her armchair to add, pointing her plastic cup at Dahyun with a blatantly joking look of disdain.

Sana shook her head at Nayeon. “She doesn’t need it when she’s top of her class!”

“Oh , really?” Nayeon blinked, and Dahyun suddenly felt a bit self-conscious. “So you’re, like, smart-smart?”

Jeongyeon somehow managed to hear that, cutting in loudly from the table, “Yeah, as opposed to your dumb-, Im!”

Nayeon gawked, turning her full attention to Jeongyeon. “I have a higher grade than you!”

Although Dahyun couldn’t fully grasp the relationship that Nayeon and Jeongyeon had, she felt relieved that Sana and Momo seemed to be soaking it all up with bright laughter. They know Jeongyeon and Nayeon better than me, right? This means that this is normal; good even?

“So you’re a nerd too?” Jeongyeon grimaced. “Yikes, sorry to hear!”

“I’m going to kick your , Yoo.” Nayeon groaned as she put her cup down and stood up. “Sana, come on. We’re going doubles on this.”

“Do I have to?” Sana whined.

“Yes. There has been a call to war.”

Sana smiled, despite rolling her eyes. She finished up her cup and put it down beside the chair before looking at Dahyun. “Want to see me do absolutely nothing to help? I’m not the most coordinated type.”

Dahyun chuckled. “I have faith in your sporty skills.”

“Then you don’t know me very well,” Sana said with a chuckle, standing up and making her way over to the ping pong table to stand next to Nayeon on one side, while Jeongyeon and Momo occupied the other.

Dahyun was beginning to feel a little more comfortable now that time had passed for a while. She figured that the cup of punch in her hands would be the last of the drinks that she’d have for the night, as she wasn’t entirely sure of her tolerance. Still, two seemed fine to her, especially if one was straight beer and the other had some vodka in it. Despite the taste, she continued to drink from the cup while she watched the girls play.

She didn’t mind at all. In fact, it was really entertaining to see the sheer amount of vigor that went into Nayeon and Jeongyeon’s competitive paddle swinging, with Sana and Momo looking as though they were barely trying (though, in fairness, that was probably due to the fact that both Nayeon and Jeongyeon offered them very little chance to have space to swing on the table). They seemed more amused than anything. Dahyun felt the same.

She even cheered them on from the side, beginning to feel slightly more like herself. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it wasn’t. She wasn’t sure. But she tried not to laugh when Nayeon and Jeongyeon had a brief argument over who Dahyun was rooting for, which Dahyun chose not to disclose. Sana and Momo shot her a thumbs up at that.

It took some time, but Nayeon eventually won two out of the three games they had played. She donned a -eating grin like no other, somehow even more impressive than the ones that Dahyun had seen from Jeongyeon from the last year, and she tightly hugged Sana and bounced along with her while Jeongyeon vaguely sulked from her end, with Momo rubbing her shoulder.

“The game is rigged since it’s at your house,” Jeongyeon scoffed, though Dahyun could tell she wasn’t truly angry or mad about the loss.

“Oh please, Jeongyeon.” Nayeon snickered. “Just admit you’re a sore loser and that I’m the best!”

Jeongyeon snorted. “If I had won, you’d be worse.”

“No I wouldn’t!” Nayeon defended, letting go of Sana. However, the force with which she had gone from hugging Sana to crossing her arms seemed to knock Sana off-balance, and she shrieked as she fell backward into the pool.

Everyone forgot about the conversation and ran to the edge of the pool, including Dahyun who had practically leapt from her chair. There was a unified sigh of relief as Sana’s head popped out from under the water, smiling despite looking embarrassed.

“Oops?”

Momo laughed, bending and offering an arm to help Sana get out of the water. “You’re so clumsy.”

“It was probably my fault,” Nayeon admitted with a frown. “I’m sorry, Sana.”

Sana giggled, shivering and hugging herself as she stood up. “It’s okay. Just help me with some spare clothes and we’ll call it even?”

Nayeon nodded furiously, immediately wrapping an arm around Sana and leading her back into the house and up the stairs by the kitchen. The rest of them watched as the two girls disappeared into the house, but eventually Jeongyeon and Momo grabbed their drinks from the ground and sat in the chairs that Nayeon and Sana had occupied, with Dahyun returning to her own.

Momo sat in the center. “Did Nayeon say what kind of drink this is?”

Jeongyeon shrugged, whipping out her phone.

“It’s some kind of fruit punch with vodka,” Dahyun answered.

Momo hummed for a moment before attempting the drink. She must have liked it, because it wasn’t even another minute later before she took another big gulp of the cup.

Dahyun chuckled. “You and Sana must enjoy drinks.”

“You think so? Why, did she drink hers fast?” Momo asked, blinking down at the cup beside the chair once Dahyun pointed at it. It was empty. “Oh, well I guess I can’t blame you for thinking that.”

“Do you like drinking, though?”

“It’s alright.” Momo smiled. “I’d rather be eating.”

“Then go eat,” Jeongyeon suggested from the other end.

“Get me some food, Jeong?”

Jeongyeon snorted. “Get if yourself. First your lunch, and now you’re asking me to serve you? What do I look like?”

Momo pouted. “A good friend of mine?”

“You wouldn’t want to imply otherwise, Jeong,” Dahyun contributed, much to the delighted smile on Momo’s face and the glare in Jeongyeon’s eyes.

“Fine. I’ll be back.”

Once Jeongyeon left, Dahyun snickered. “Wow, Nayeon wasn’t kidding about Jeong having a soft spot for you.”

Momo shrugged happily, taking another sip. “Can’t be helped, I guess.”

“Teach me your ways.” Dahyun jokingly begged, folding her hands. “Please, I must acquire free food!”

“You’ve got to have big puppy eyes at the right moment.” Momo grinned widely, twisting in her seat to give Dahyun her full attention. “It helps to enjoy the simple things.”

Dahyun raised an eyebrow, amused. “What does that last part mean?”

“People will sometimes think I’m like a kid just because I enjoy the simpler things in life, like food. I don’t know why they think that way, but it works in my favor.” Momo smirked with a waggle of the brow. “It means more food comes my way. Nayeon is very protective of Sana and I, but definitely me – so is my girlfriend, actually.”

“And I assume Jeongyeon and Sana? Just everybody?”

Momo seemed very happy at the notion. “You too?”

“You’re alright,” Dahyun joked, pouting and shooting Momo a finger heart when the latter frowned at her words. “I’m sorry that I didn’t try talking to you sooner.”

“That’s okay! I was very shy around my girlfriend at first, so I know why you were scared to approach Sana.”

Dahyun scratched her neck, averting her gaze. “I never said anything about Sana specifically.”

“Sure.” Momo laughed, nodding sarcastically as she returned to her drink and leaned further back into the chair.

Dahyun was prepared to defend herself and lie more, but her phone began to buzz in her pocket. Taking it out, her eyes widened upon seeing Chaeyoung’s name. “…”

“What’s up?”

“I forgot I was supposed to call my friend. Do you mind if I take the call?”

Momo shook her head. “Nope.”

“Thanks,” Dahyun said, just before hitting the green button. “Hello?”

“You’ve already been out for like two hours, you dork! Where was my phone call?”

Two? Dahyun blinked, briefly moving her phone from her ear to check the clock. It was more like a quarter to two hours, but she understood Chaeyoung’s point. “I’m sorry, Chaeng. I got completely caught up in talking.”

“Do you mean with…?”

“Uh…” Dahyun cleared . “Sort of.”

“Nice! I’m so proud of you, I know how nervous you were to approach her!”

“Well, Jeongyeon helped. You know how it goes.”

“Doesn’t matter how, Dubu. That’s major progress for you. Is she as nice as you remember?”

Dahyun hesitated, not wanting to reply in a way that was overly obvious for Momo to understand. “Er, yes. I think. Hard to tell.”

“Hard to tell? Was it not much talking?”

“Kind of?”

“You usually ramble. Is something wrong? Are you next to her?”

“No, but you’re on the right track.”

“Next to someone you don’t want to know that you’re talking about a crush?”

Dahyun grinned. “Exactly right! Best friends synced yet again.”

“Bro!”

“Bro!”

Momo shot Dahyun a vaguely amused, confused look when the latter had done a subtle fist pump along with the declaration. Dahyun shrugged when she noticed Momo’s gaze, an awkward smile on her face.

“I’ll ask yes or no questions then. Does she remember you?”

She smiled a bit at the fact that she could say, “Yes.”

“That’s great! Told you that you were memorable.” Chaeyoung seemed very genuine in her happy reactions, and Dahyun briefly reminded herself that there was no better wingwoman out there (with the second being Jeongyeon, obviously).

“I’m grateful for you, you know that?”

There was a small pause. “Oh wow, getting soft on me? I’ve got to hang up now.”

“Wait, don’t go,” Dahyun whined.

“Do you need a pep talk?”

“Maybe.”

Chaeyoung’s giggle was fondly familiar. “She remembers you, which is in your favor. She’s going to be graduating, so even if you told her how you felt tonight – which is the best-case scenario, so let’s just hope for friendship for now – it wouldn’t be a big deal because she’s going to go away to college. You said that you two talked at least a little bit, which means she that doesn’t think you’re awkward.”

Dahyun fidgeted with her free hand on her lap. “What if I am?”

“You’re not, shut up. You’re really funny when you’re comfortable and you’re a kind person. Just get to know her. If she hasn’t pushed you away already, then you’re not being awkward. I’m pretty sure that Im Nayeon would eat the head off of anyone who bothered her best friends, so you’re probably in the clear if you’re still able to walk around that house. How is that house by the way?”

“Oh man, Chaeng. It’s huge. I wish there were less people so that I could take photos for you,” Dahyun said, and she noticed Momo’s soft chuckle from her left. The older girl was texting on her phone while she waited for Dahyun.

“That’s so awesome. And you’re awesome! Don’t let me keep you. The upperclassmen are nice, so go for it! At least make friends with them.”

Dahyun looked over to Momo and exchanged a brief smile with the girl. “I’m on it.”

“Great! Text me when you’re home safely? Or, just, once you get back to somewhere safe to sleep, at least. Love you, bro!”

“You too,” Dahyun replied before hanging up the phone, taking a moment to look at Chaeyoung’s contact photo for some semblance of courage.

“So… a bro, huh?” Momo snickered after a moment of silence had passed.

“She’s my best friend,” Dahyun clarified.

“You looked a little more relieved. I’m glad you have a good friend.”

“Thanks, I’m really grateful to have her.”

Momo smiled softly. “That’s like me and Sana. Don’t tell her that, though. She’ll never let me live it down.”

“Embarrassed by friendship?” Dahyun smirked.

“Nope.” Momo giggled. “We just like to mess with each other a little bit. She doesn’t need me to tell her for her to know how I feel about her. We do hang out all the time, after all.”

Dahyun nodded. “True. I feel like you two were inseparable since I always saw you two in the hallway at the same time.”

“So you’ve always noticed us, huh?” Momo smiled wryly.

“It’s kind of hard not to,” Dahyun admitted with a blush, rubbing her neck.

“We did notice that you seemed to not want to say hi, you know.”

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to –”

Momo shook her head. “I’m saying that because I want you to know that we did – that we still do – want to be friends with you. If we had stopped caring, we wouldn’t have continued to notice. It’s okay that you were scared, but it’s not too late, right? You’re here now.”

Dahyun frowned, looking down at her hands in her lap. “Do I stand a chance?”

Momo chuckled. “Not my place to make promises. But it’s better to take it than not, right?”

Dahyun bit the inside of her cheek, mulling over it until she noticed Momo stand up. “Where are you going?”

Momo stretched in place, cup still in hand. “Jeong’s taking a weirdly long time, so I have a feeling she got distracted. I’ll just get myself a plate. Want anything?”

“I’m good, thanks.” Dahyun felt her brow twitch when she realized that she had to use the bathroom. “Might need to use the bathroom, actually.”

“Oh, you don’t want to go to the bathroom down here on the ground floor.” Momo made a face. “The line is really long, there’s way too many people inside.”

Somehow the space among the chairs had become a bubble, because only then did Dahyun suddenly remember the loud sounds coming from inside the house or the other swimmers and passerby outside on the patio. Am I drunk?

“Here, can you hold my phone? I’m probably going to need both hands.”

Dahyun nodded. “Sure.” Momo smiled as she handed over her cell, ready to walk away before Dahyun added, “Wait. Should I just not go then?”

Momo shrugged. “Honestly, you could just go upstairs. I’ll just tell Nayeon that I said it was okay if she says anything about it later. Just go through the kitchen stairs since the one in the main hall is surrounded and people might think it’s okay to go up.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“No problem.” Momo grinned. “I’ll be back here with the food. I’ll see you in a bit.”

Dahyun stood up, pocketing Momo’s cell and her own phone into her jeans before following Momo into the house, splitting off toward the stairs once Momo turned toward the dining room. She could definitely feel the warmth buzzing around her head as she climbed up the stairs, and she was thankful that she hadn’t tried to drink more than the two beverages.

She almost felt dizzy at the overwhelming length of the hallway once she reached the second floor, not to mention that the flight of steps folded, and the stairs continued up another floor. Holy …

It wasn’t another huge, laid-out floor in the house but, rather, a very long corridor of many doors. It reminded Dahyun of those Scooby-Doo cartoons where the characters ran through different doors in the hallway, and the tipsy part of her couldn’t help the half-giggle that came out of . She walked down the hallway a bit until she came upon two doors directly across from one another, both ajar.

Might as well try these, she thought to herself. Humming, she opened the door on her right and immediately took notice of the carpet. The first thought in her vaguely inebriated brain was that the floor was carpeted, which probably meant it wasn’t a bathroom. Her second observation, however, was that there was a bed with two very familiar, very active individuals on it.

Walking in on Jeongyeon having with Im Nayeon was not even on her list of things to expect from the party, but it quickly rose on her checklist of images that she would prefer to erase from her memory.

“!” She screamed at the sight of Nayeon’s bare , thankful that she didn’t take in much more than that and their faces before slapping her hand over her eyes.

Dahyun was too dazed to differentiate the voices that were yelling “!” and “Get out!” and “Don’t close the door all the way! and “Oh my god,” among other things that caused Dahyun to apologize profusely and fumble for the doorknob, eyes still covered by her palm as she backed out of the doorway. She continued backward until her back met the door on the opposite end, pushing it open.

She took the chance to peek through her fingers, grateful that she could tell that one of the girls had already closed the door a majority of the way on the opposite side of the hall. Then she noticed her feet, and how there were tiles underneath, and she suddenly felt much more relieved that she had probably found the bathroom and that it awaited behind her.

A soft voice spoke. “Hey.”

Dahyun felt her heart dramatically pound against her ribcage as she turned in place, her eyes widening at another unexpected sight. Sana was in underwear, holding a white t-shirt to cover her chest. The older girl cleared , a subtle smile on her face despite her rosy cheeks that were complemented cutely by thin, round glasses that were slightly distracting.

“Oh my god, I’m so –” Dahyun began to panic, trying to look anywhere but at Sana as she stumbled backward and accidentally clicked the door shut with her back. She blushed and swiftly turned to open the door, feeling as though was ready to close when she noticed that the doorknob was not working despite her frantic efforts.

“Dahyun.”

Dahyun didn’t seem to hear, mumbling “oh my god” to herself as she desperately tried to open the door without using enough force to break it by accident.

She froze when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Dahyun, relax. It’s okay.”

Dahyun didn’t dare to look away from the doorknob. “Are your clothes on?”

“Shy around half- girls, Dahyun?” Sana giggled.

“Yes.” Dahyun didn’t even bother trying to be defensive.

“Me too,” Sana said softly, and Dahyun could somehow hear the smile in her voice without having to see it. “Give me a second. I have one of Nayeon’s bras on, it’s just that you caught me by surprise, so… I guess it was a natural reaction.”

“Nayeon’s bra?”

“Yeah.” Dahyun could hear Sana moving, her voice becoming muffled as she assumedly put on the shirt. “I didn’t expect to fall in a pool, so she just offered me her clothes. Had to take my contacts out too, which was a shame, but she has a similar prescription, so she gave me her glasses as well. You can look now, by the way.”

Dahyun turned, still red-faced from embarrassment at the many unfortunate events that had transpired in less than a few minutes. Sana was smiling at her from the center of the bathroom, somehow making a t-shirt and joggers look ready for a runway. And god, the glasses… wow…

Sana raised an eyebrow, amused by Dahyun’s lack of words or action. “Are you drunk?”

“No.” Dahyun shook her head, clearing her own throat. “Tipsy, definitely. But I’m okay. Well, maybe I’m not okay. I just saw something that I shouldn’t have seen.”

“Are they having ?”

She froze. “Y-Yes, how’d you know?”

Sana leaned against the sink. “Nayeon told me not to wait up if I was finished because she and Jeongyeon were going to do their thing. I just finished taking a quick shower and was in the middle of getting dressed when you popped in.”

“Listen, Sana, I’m so—”

Sana giggled. “You apologize way too much. I would be blinded after seeing that, too.”

“But now I messed up the door.” Dahyun frowned, meeting Sana’s eyes.

“Nothing to worry about. I’ll just make a call.” Sana said, lifting a finger to let Dahyun know to hang on for a moment. She grabbed her phone out of the pocket of the joggers and hastily dialed a number. Her eyes widened when a ringtone suddenly went off in the room.

“Oh.” Dahyun sighed, cursing herself as she removed Momo’s phone from her pocket. “I was in charge of holding Momo’s phone while she went to get food.”

“Sounds like her.” Sana chuckled. She furrowed her brow as she went through her contacts, rubbing her chin in thought. “I doubt Nayeon or Jeongyeon are going to answer if I call or text them. They kind of take a long time.”

“Ew, do they tell you about that stuff?”

Sana laughed. “Well, not in excruciating detail. But I know that Nayeon likes it better when they’re at it for –”

“Please don’t finish.”

Sana snickered, mumbling, “But they will.”

Dahyun rubbed her temples, mumbling, “The movie clichés… they’re real. Frenemies that are actually lovers in secret, having at a high school party with alcohol in a room that guests shouldn’t be in…”

“Two people getting locked in a room together,” Sana added, looking up from her phone to meet Dahyun’s bashful gaze with a teasing smirk.

“I actually was looking for the bathroom, you know!”

“Oh, do you need to go?”

“If I’m being honest, yeah.”

Sana’s brow furrowed. “Just peeing?”

Dahyun hated how hot her face felt. “Yes, of course!”

Sana giggled. “There’s an air-freshener in here, I wouldn’t actually—”

“It’s fine, I just need to pee.”

“Alrighty. I’ll stand here by the door and you can go while I cover my ears. Would that make you feel more comfortable?”

Dahyun nodded.

“Great. Go ahead, then.” Sana smiled, giving Dahyun’s shoulder a short rub that somehow managed to feel like a hot iron on the younger girl’s skin.

It all felt so awkward, at least for Dahyun. She couldn’t tell if she was just making up all the awkwardness in her head or if Sana was just being overly polite and accommodating. So, instead, she tried to focus on other things while doing her business. The bathroom was very clean and neat, white marble tiles and gold accents taking up most of the room. There was a large window at the far end of the bathroom, but it was covered by a curtain – the interior probably looked really nice on a sunny day.

Dahyun did her best to finish fast, flushing and letting Sana know that she had finished by the time she reached the sink to wash her hands. The scent of the soap was lavender, and it helped to calm her down slightly. She was surprised to see Sana walk up behind her, making eye contact with her through the mirror.

“Do you need to take a shower too?” Sana joked, trying to make light of the situation. Dahyun could tell that she was doing it to help relax her, which she tried to calm her heart down about, but somehow the thought of showering in the same room only served to make her feel hotter than necessary.

“It’s really hot.”

“A cold shower, then?” Sana lilted, her grin widening.

“Very funny.” Dahyun managed to smirk, turning against the sink and leaning on it to look at Sana, or at least as much as she could will herself to. “You seem to know your way around getting stuck in a bathroom with another person. These jokes feel prepared.”

Sana gaped in mock offense, though she couldn’t help but laugh. “Critiquing my jokes?! Maybe I’m just being a good person, offering the shower that’s right here if you’re feeling drenched in sweat or something.”

“Ew.” Dahyun snorted. “I’m not that hot.”

“You’re a little hot.” Sana winked, poking Dahyun’s shoulder playfully.

It was unexpected, and Dahyun couldn’t stop herself from having to cough abruptly. Sana’s giggle didn’t help the pounding in her chest as she tried to collect herself.

“Please…”

“What?” Sana tilted her head a bit, curious.

“You don’t mean that, do you?”

Sana’s expression seemed to sober up a bit, her brow furrowing slightly. “Do you think I’m lying?”

“I’m –” Dahyun hesitated, biting down on her lip momentarily – “just surprised to hear that sort of thing, especially from someone like you.”

Sana seemed confused. “Someone like me?”

“Just,” Dahyun began, crossing her arms as she spoke, “someone who’s super pretty and, well, I don’t know. I said this to Momo earlier but, like, out of my league.”

A few expressions ran their course across Sana’s face. There was surprise, melancholy, uncertainty, but it ended on a soft smile and sympathetic eyes. The sincerity was there again, shining in Sana’s eyes like a star whose truths twinkled at every syllable. “And what league is that, Dahyun?”

She shouldn’t have said anything in the first place, especially since it wasn’t really in her character to do so. But she found herself blaming the alcohol or a weak sense of willpower or the stress of the circumstances, or just really anything that ultimately led back to her feeling stupid.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“I meant what I said, you know.” Sana said, taking it upon herself to move herself beside Dahyun and also lean her back against the sink. Their arms brushed as Sana hummed, crossing her own arms as well as she contemplated what to say next. “I know that we haven’t had a chance to really talk until tonight, but it’s not like I suddenly developed the ability to see tonight. I’ve had eyes since I was born, last I checked. And I definitely had them on my first day at our school.”

Dahyun felt bashful, heat creeping up her neck. “Momo told me that you both thought I was cute.”

“You are cute! Didn’t you look in the mirror a moment ago?” Sana chuckled, gently nudging Dahyun’s arm with her elbow.

“It’s just shocking, I don’t know.”

“It shouldn’t be,” Sana said quietly, softly placing a hand on Dahyun’s shoulder. “I don’t know why you never approached us, but if it’s because you thought we were ‘out of your league’ or whatever, then I’m sorry that I didn’t approach you myself.”

“Stop!” Dahyun shook her head, looking at Sana directly. “No, there’s nothing for you to apologize for! I was just really shy about coming up to you.”

“What was that about situations that we keep running into where we insist we’re both at fault?” Sana smirked, her thumb rubbing Dahyun’s shoulder as the latter broke into a small smile.

“A bad habit of ours?”

Sana winked. “Definitely. It could be our thing, you know?”

“For sure.” Dahyun felt the tension in her shoulders relax. “We could set up office meetings, apologize to one another even more. Maybe add a slideshow presentation? I could take a picture of myself with a sign that just says ‘sorry’ on it and add it at the end, after a lot of slides that just say ‘sorry’ in different languages.”

“We can start writing each other letters where we pay postage just so that we end up opening envelopes with a paper that has a singular ‘sorry’ written on it and our signatures.” Sana smirked, laughing along. “A good business investment for this apologetic enterprise we’re starting.”

“I wish we had alcohol so that I could toast to that.”

“I think you’ve had enough.” Sana smiled, pushing herself off the sink and walking over toward the window. “Come on, let’s go outside.”

Dahyun blinked incredulously, glancing around the room. “I’m sorry, did I hear that right? Outside? As in, go out of the window? From the second floor?”

Sana merely stuck her tongue out and opened the curtain, taking a moment to unlock and push open the window. She stuck a foot out, placing it on a slightly slanted piece of tiled roofing that happened to be just under the window. Looking back to Dahyun, she gestured for her to come over.

“Is it safe?”

“There’s a part of the roof here that you can lay on. Nayeon would take us out here sometimes, it’s safe.”

Despite a moment of hesitation, Dahyun cautiously walked over and peeked out the window, seeing the roofing that Sana was referring to, as well as the backyard pool a little further out on the ground. The angle made it easy for them to see the partygoers but made it more restrictive or unlikely that they could see the two girls in return. Getting help seemed unlikely, so waiting it out seemed to make the most sense.

Sana crawled out fully, positioning herself on her back. She patted the side beside her, waiting patiently as Dahyun carefully took the time to safely exit from the window.

“Should I close it?” Dahyun asked.

“How will we get down?” Sana snickered.

“Point taken!” Dahyun coughed, leaving the window open and moving to relax beside Sana. She sighed to herself when she felt the older girl’s leg graze her own, and she rested her arms atop her abdomen while she focused on breathing.

It didn’t help that Sana was smiling directly at her in her peripheral. “You seem nervous.”

“Well, I am on a roof. One might call it a high risk.”

Sana laughed, gently shoving Dahyun’s shoulder with her own. “Cheesy pun.”

Dahyun smiled, despite her nerves. “Hope you’re not lactose intolerant.”

“I can handle it,” Sana said with subtle smugness before looking up at the sky. “So what do you want to do once you graduate?”

“I really love playing the piano. It’d be nice to play in concerts or to do something where I can play and sing.”

That seemed to excite Sana a little. “Oh wow, you must be very talented then! That’s great!”

“Well, we’ll see how far it takes me.” Dahyun idly scratched at the fabric of her shirt. “How about you? What are you going to do now?”

Sana hummed, tilting her head along the tiling. “I was thinking about doing an internship somewhere, but I’m not sure what kind of company. I really love perfumes and scent stuff, but I also wouldn’t mind doing fashion or acting. Nayeon also said that she could help me get into an acting workshop or something like that, so my options are open right now.”

“It’s really nice to have a lot of interests.” Dahyun said, turning her head to face Sana. “Sometimes I feel like the only thing I can really rely on is music these days. I’ve thought about being a judge or something before, but –”

“A judge?” Sana asked, shocked. She turned her head toward Dahyun, and the latter had to gulp away the feeling at their faces being fairly close. “You? Have you always wanted that?”

Dahyun ignored the blush on her cheeks, chuckling. “It was kind of a dream I had as a kid. I’m definitely more passionate about music now that I’m older, though.”

“Passion is good to have,” Sana said quietly. “I feel like I would rather have passion for one thing than to have too many interests.”

Dahyun shook her head. “But you have more options to try when things go wrong then, right?”

Sana let a small smile dance on her lips. “The more passionate you are, the less likely you’ll really fail by the end, though. Don’t you think?”

“Maybe,” Dahyun replied softly, breaking into a smile. “I can play for you one day if you want?”

“I would love that!” Sana’s legs bounced a bit, which was a little too cute. She grabbed Dahyun’s closest hand excitedly. “I love music too! It’d be so cool, and you can even sing if you want. I can sing a little, too? You play, and we’ll have a duet!”

Dahyun was registering the words a little too slowly, her mind unable to unwrap from the fact that Sana was clutching her hand. She managed to keep her chest from rising and falling too dramatically, but she was forcing deep breaths slowly out of her nose.

Sana seemed to notice. “Do you not like being touched?”

“N-No!” Dahyun held back a little tighter when she felt Sana’s grip loosening. “It just made me nervous. I’m fine. My friend holds my hands sometimes, it’s not like it’s something I’ve never done.”

“Nervous?” Dahyun bit her lip at the smug smile on Sana’s face.

“I mean,” she sighed, “yeah.”

Sana giggled lightly. “No wonder you couldn’t approach us.”

“I just felt like I got too lucky, maybe.” Dahyun said, looking away from Sana to stare at the night sky. There were stars twinkling here and there, but it was mostly hidden by the light pollution of their area. “I was just a first-year, you know? Bumping into beautiful upperclassmen transfers who claimed that they wanted to talk to me if they saw me again? That’s nuts to me, I don’t know.”

“Sounds like the mind of a first-year,” Sana joked quietly, and Dahyun cracked a smile.

“Yeah, I suppose it does.”

A beat passed before Sana asked, “And what if I felt like I got too lucky, too?”

Dahyun’s brow furrowed, but she didn’t look away from the stars. “What do you mean?”

She could feel Sana shrug beside her. “I was a transfer student, a stranger in a new and scary place. Sure, I was with my best friend, but we were lost and the first student we ran into was a kind and pretty girl. I felt so embarrassed for making you drop your books, like I had made a bad impression.”

“You?” Dahyun’s eyes widened, turning her head to Sana. “Making a bad impression? Are you kidding?”

Sana looked back to Dahyun, expression serious but soft. “I thought that it was the reason why you never said hi to us. And I guess that’s why I didn’t approach you first either.”

“Sana, you did nothing to leave a bad impression.” Dahyun frowned. “I was just scared. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you think –”

Sana cut in, “No more apologies over it, okay?” She moved her fingers so that they would weave with Dahyun’s. “That was a long time ago and we were both dumb, apparently. There’s now, right?”

“Yeah.” Dahyun blushed, quickly glancing down at their interlaced hands. Sana’s hands were soft and they fit a little too nicely for Dahyun’s heart. She worried that her would palms would sweat, but thankfully her body didn’t betray her.

They both looked back up to the sky, staying like that for a few minutes in silence. Normally Dahyun didn’t like awkward silences and often tried to say something – anything – to clear the space, but there wasn’t anything awkward in the silence shared between them. It was comfortable, and the only sounds were from the party below. Boys and girls hollering by the pool, the muffled sounds of loud music playing from inside, and the splashes of water were all that reached Dahyun’s ears.

“Stargazing is nice, right?” Sana asked suddenly after a little while, getting Dahyun’s attention.

Dahyun chuckled. “There’s not many that we can see from here, unfortunately.”

Sana shook her head. “They’re still there, even if it’s harder to see them.”

“That’s true.”

“It reminds me of you.”

“How?” Dahyun asked, turning her head again.

Sana smirked, meeting Dahyun’s eyes. “It’s like the truth, right? People telling you what they think of you but, because you don’t see it yourself, you don’t believe it.”

Dahyun frowned. “Come on. I’m not the only person like that. Besides, if you said my music sounded good, I wouldn’t argue about it or anything. It’s just circumstantial, not always.”

“What if I told you that I thought you were one of the cutest people I know?”

“Sana, please,” Dahyun chuckled nervously in disbelief. It was hard to look Sana in the eyes when she said things like that, because her eyes made Dahyun want to believe that she really was being honest.

“What do I have to do to prove to you that I’m being genuine?” Sana asked, though her tone was more amused than frustrated, which Dahyun was grateful for.

“I don’t need you to prove anything!” Dahyun pouted. “I do think you’re genuine.”

“Weird that you won’t take my words seriously, then.” Sana looked down at Dahyun’s pouted lips. “Would you believe that I’ve meant everything I’ve said if I kissed you?”

Although the overall tone of everything since she had gone upstairs had been a little more intimate than anticipated, somehow the air felt thicker at Sana’s words almost instantaneously.

“Wh-What?”

Sana giggled, and Dahyun was shocked by how bashful it sounded. “Don’t be mad at her, but Momo texted me earlier that she’s pretty sure you like me.”

Dahyun groaned, rubbing her face with her free hand. “Dammit Momo, I told her that I never said –”

Sana squeezed Dahyun’s hand, cutting her off in a quiet voice. “She only told me that because she knows that I like you.”

“Excuse me?” Dahyun’s eyes were struggling not to bulge out of the sockets, and she removed her palm from her face to stare, wide-eyed, at Sana. “Me? Like, like-like? Like crush?”

Sana giggled, turning her body on her side to face Dahyun. “Yep.”

“Why?! We haven’t even talked since last year until tonight!”

“Well, I kind of had my hopes up a little as far as getting to know you when we first met. That didn’t happen, obviously, and it wasn’t like I had serious feelings already or anything. But then Jeongyeon kept talking about you this year and, well, I don’t know!” Sana chuckled to herself, and Dahyun was surprised by the hint of a blush on the older girl’s cheeks. “The more she spoke, the more I felt like I had missed my chance to know someone I would’ve liked, especially when I had already thought of you as attractive. I used to smile every time Jeongyeon posted a photo with you on Instagram. So I guess it’s not, like, anything super serious. But it’s enough to hope that you’ll admit the same to me?”

Dahyun searched Sana’s features, looking for a hint that it was all a joke. “Are you serious?”

Sana shook her head in amusement, letting go of Dahyun’s hand in order to bring her palm up to the younger’s face, gently cupping the side of her face. “I can prove it right now.”

“I –” Dahyun paused, balling up the fabric of her own shirt in her hands – “I do like you. It’s hard not to whenever I see you in the hallway. Your smile is so bright and it reaches all the way to your eyes and, if I’m lucky, sometimes I’ll hear you laugh and it’s a really pretty sound, and every time you’ve dyed your hair I’ve been shocked at how good you look in every color and, okay, yeah I like you, like I said. I’m rambling, jeez,” she said, barely using more than a single breath to get it all out.

“You’re really cute.”

“You saying that while cupping my face is going to drive me nuts.”

Sana smirked, rubbing her thumb against the skin of Dahyun’s cheek. “You’re definitely cute.”

Dahyun couldn’t help but smile a little. “You might be fatal.”

Sana hummed. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Dahyun wasn’t sure if she hated or loved the way that her heart was drumming against her ribcage. She had never felt like she had a chance with Sana, but suddenly her hopes were much higher than before, so much so that she was certain she’d die on the spot if Sana closed the distance between them. But there she was, just staring back at Dahyun with an amused but sincere smile on her face.

“What?”

“I’m waiting for you to give me permission to kiss you, dork.” Sana chuckled.

Dahyun blushed. “Oh, you need that?”

“Well, you do look like you’re going to faint, so I might as well be considerate,” Sana teased, leaning in just a bit. “Kidding. I just want to make sure it’s what you want.”

“I mean,” Dahyun looked down at Sana’s lips, “I’ve wanted it for a long time now.”

“Me too,” Sana replied in a whisper, closing the distance between them and pressing her lips gently against Dahyun’s.

Dahyun’s eyelids fluttered shut, breathing in deeply through her nose. The pressure was light at first, chaste but unrelenting in its duration as neither of the girls parted. There was a brief moment of disappointment when Sana’s lips inevitably lifted, but that was smothered quickly when the feeling came back with more pressure as well as the subtle feeling of a tug on Dahyun’s lips.

She felt hot all over as Sana adjusted, crawling on top of her and continuing to cup her cheek while propping herself up with the elbow of her free arm. Her lips glided over Dahyun’s as she tilted her head, bumping their noses briefly before deepening the kiss.

Dahyun couldn’t help the giggle that slipped out of her, probably due to the sheer amount of nervous energy in her that needed to come out, but she grinned as she felt Sana smile into the kiss, her glasses gently falling against Dahyun's nose before Dahyun quickly fixed it for her. From underneath, she gently balled up the fabric of Sana’s shirt into her fists, pulling her a bit closer so that Sana could lay on her a bit more. Her heartbeat was sprinting at full speed, and she briefly wondered if Sana could feel it against her.

Sana flicked the tip of her tongue against Dahyun’s lips, an unexpected but welcomed warmth as Dahyun hesitantly opened . Her cheeks flushed at the unfamiliar feeling. She had never made out with someone before, but the fruity taste of Sana’s breath – likely from the peach punch from earlier – was shockingly pleasant and much more intimate than she would’ve guessed. She had never felt more grateful for functioning lungs.

It felt like it had been too soon when Sana pulled away from Dahyun’s mouth, grazing Dahyun’s skin with her lips as she kissed her way down from the corner of Dahyun’s mouth, across her cheek, back down along her jaw, and leaving a final kiss of the trail at the corner of her neck.

Dahyun blushed when she opened her eyes and saw Sana smiling down at her, a rosy tint to her face too. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Sana greeted back with a giggle.

“That punch tastes great on you.” Dahyun blinked, unsure if what she said really made sense.

“Likewise,” Sana said, teasing by very purposely her lips slowly.

Dahyun bit her lip. “Don’t do that.”

“What? my lips?”

“Yeah. mine instead.”

Sana laughed, and it was hearty enough that Dahyun broke into a wide smile. “One kiss and you’re suddenly very confident. I like that.”

Dahyun shrugged, suddenly acting cool as if she hadn’t been on the verge of throwing up all night. “Well, what can I say? I like you.”

“Mm,” Sana hummed. “I like you too.”

“Glad we could reach an agreement.” Dahyun chuckled, and she wrapped her arms around Sana, hugging the older girl against her. Sana complied with ease, relaxing her body and resting her head against Dahyun’s shoulder.

“I was hoping to get your number by the end of the party, but this works too,” Sana admitted quietly, giggling to herself. The vibration of it against Dahyun’s chest matched well with her thrumming heart.

Dahyun smiled. “Well, it’s your lucky day. You can still get it.”

“Awesome. I’d love to text Momo that I scored a number tonight, but she left her phone with you.”

“Oh no!” Dahyun faked a gasp. “Guess Momo will never know!”

Sana smirked. “I take it that you also have a best friend who you’ll rush to tell?”

Dahyun chuckled, thinking of Chaeyoung immediately. “She can wait. I’d rather stay stuck here with you.”

Sana closed her eyes, rubbing Dahyun’s shoulder with her thumb. “Sounds good. Nayeon will find us eventually, anyway.”

Dahyun held Sana a little tighter, making a mental note to thank Jeongyeon and let her know that she’d owe her a favor. She would probably thank Momo as well, but scolding her for sharing a secret would probably come first. She wasn’t entirely sure; the thought of scolding Momo even jokingly didn’t sit well with her. Maybe Momo had been right about the instinctive protective nature. The main takeaway was that Dahyun liked Momo, and that maybe she was a little grateful for what she had done too.

It took her a few minutes of more comfortable silence to summon the courage to ask, “Would you like to go on a date?”

“This doesn’t count? Locked in bathrooms and making out on rooftops isn’t the standard?”

Dahyun chuckled. “We can make out in a theater instead. Dinner and a movie?”

“Just come over and we can have takeout in pajamas and do that Netflix and chill stuff.”

“Isn’t that,” Dahyun blushed, “a thing?”

Sana giggled. “It doesn’t have to be. I’d just like to spend time with you and get to know you more. Let’s not worry about that kind of stuff.”

Dahyun smiled, leaning her cheek against the top of Sana’s head. “That works for me. I’d like to get to know you too. Unsure if I’ve got anything interesting to share, personally, but I’ll do my best.”

“I think you’re someone worth knowing,” Sana said softly, lifting her head to place a soft kiss against Dahyun’s jaw.

And finally, somewhere in that gentle kiss, Dahyun knew that Sana meant it.