“So you’re saying that you’ve been dating someone for the past 6 months and none of us knew?!” Heejin exclaims. The others at the lunch table lurch forward in excitement.

 

(Except Haseul. She’s too dignified to partake in school-girl gossip. Although her eyes show a keen interest in the topic at hand.) 

 

Chaewon squirms in her seat at all the eyes on her. “Yeah… It’s not that I didn't want to tell you guys...It’s just that I didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable.”

 

At that, the table only got rowdier. “Who is it? Do we know her? Is she younger? Why haven’t we met her before? Most importantly, is she hot?” Jiwoo rapid-fires her questions without taking a breath. 

 

Chaewon laughs at that and proceeds to shyly play with her fingers. 

 

“Oh my god, it really must be true! Look at her.” Jinsoul says as she shakes Haseul back and forth. “My baby is all grown up.” Jinsoul wipes a fake tear from her eye as she says it. 

 

“Um…maybe?, yes, she wasn’t ready to meet you guys, and…..yes.” Chaewon says that last part in a whisper, blush spreading to her cheeks and ears. That proceeded to another round of squeals from her friends. 

 

“Who is she? Who is she?!” Jiwoo was practically jumping in her seat now. A hand reaches out and pushes her down. 

 

“Jiwoo, calm down.” A tall girl with straight black hair slides into the seat next to Jiwoo. She leans over to kiss the hyper girl on the lips, effectively calming the said girl. 

 

“Sooyoung unnie.” Jiwoo says, her breath taken away at the appearance of her girlfriend. “What are you doing here? I thought you had class right now.”

 

Sooyoung gives Jiwoo a grin. “It was getting too boring so Jungeun and I decided to skip. The lecture notes are online anyways. Annnnd I hear something about my girlfriend talking about another girl. Should I be jealous?” At the mention Jungeun, Jinsoul glaces around for her. “She’s picking someone up for me, blondie. She’ll be over here soon.” Sooyoung teases. Jinsoul sticks her tongue out at her. 

 

“So what’s this I hear about Chae and another girl? You know you can’t date Chae right? She’s Jinsoul’s baby so there’s no way she would let you.” Sooyoung asks as she places her arm around Jiwoo’s waist. 

 

“Don’t be jealous unnie. I only like you!” Jiwoo grins brightly, eliciting a smile from Sooyoung. Heejin and Jinsoul fake vomit at that. “And get this, Chaewon has been dating someone this whole time without telling us!”

 

“Ah.” Jiwoo pouts at Sooyoung’s lackluster response.

 

“Ah? Is that all you have to say? Come on, this is Chaewon we’re talking about! Chae has rejected just about everyone on this campus.”

 

Sooyoung shoots a sorry smile at Chaewon, the blonde returning it out of nervousness. She knows what is about to come next.

 

“Sorry Woo. I would have been surprised had it not been my baby cousin that she’s been dating.” Sooyoung says nonchalantly as if they were talking about something mundane like the weather. Everyone lets out scandalized gasps. Even Haseul has given up feigning indifference.

 

“WHAT?!”

 

“YOU KNEW THIS WHOLE TIME?!”

 

“ASDFGHJKL”

 

All at once, noise erupts from the table. Luckily, they are sitting outdoors in a more secluded part of campus so they didn't have to worry about disturbing others. Chaewon stands up from her seat and raises her hands in an effort to calm them down.

 

“Guys, I know this is surprising but please stop embarrassing me in public. And Jinsoul unnie, use your words.”

 

“But Chae, this is huge! I thought you were going to die forever alone!”

 

“Wow Jinsoul unnie, the faith you have in me, I-”

 

“Won-ah.” Chaewon stops ranting midway, a familiar voice calling out her name. Chaewon turns around, not believing her eyes. There, in her all-black fashion, stands a tall girl with wavy black hair cascading down one side of her shoulder. The small blonde kicks her chair back and dashes straight into the arms waiting for her. 

 

“Hye!” Both of them embrace the other tightly. Chaewon feels, rather than sees Hyejoo chuckling lowly in her ear. 

 

“Surprise.” Hyejoo whispers softly in her ear. 

 

“Wow no hug or hello for me?” A sarcastic voice rings out next to the embracing couple. 

 

“Don’t worry Jungeun! I’ve got you!” Jinsoul dashes out of her chair and crushes Jungeun in a hug. The girls laugh at the silly display. 

 

Chaewon ignores the commotion and leans back slightly to look at the taller girl. “What are you doing here, Hye? I thought you weren’t coming until next week?” 

 

“Yeah well, there were some minor complications but everything is alright now. I’ve moved into Sooyoung unnie’s apartment. Jungeun unnie came by to bring me here since I still haven’t figured out my way around campus yet.”

 

Just as Chaewon was about to respond, the others ruined their little reunion. 

 

“Chaewon! Is this…?” Heejin asks excitedly. 

 

“I guess the cat’s out of the bag now.” Chaewon took a deep breath and intertwined Hyejoo’s hand in hers.

 

“Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Hyejoo.”

 

Little did she know, that meeting would be the beginning of a disaster. 

 

--

 

So it turns out that Hyejoo was going to the same college as the rest of the group. She was Sooyoung’s ‘baby’ cousin (although she looked nothing like a baby with her tall, intimidating height) and so it was only natural that she moved into the same apartment. She was going to start her schooling in the summer term, which explained why she was here early despite the spring term not ending yet.

 

The others (read: Jinsoul, Heejin, and Haseul) hadn’t quite warm up to the youngest member of their group just yet. Hyejoo’s natural poker face and monotone when speaking made her feel blunt and standoffish. Not to mention, her darker color scheme fashion that made her seem like a goth kid or a punk kid. It didn't help that she often teased Chaewon on the littlest things: From being a scaredy cat to her losing at little games they play.

 

But Jiwoo is of a different opinion. Sure, she was a bit sad that she and Sooyoung will no longer have quality couple time alone in her apartment space but she already liked Hyejoo to bits. Sooyoung adored Hyejoo like a little sister so it helped change Jiwoo’s opinion easily.

 

It was obvious to Jiwoo that Hyejoo treasured Chaewon a lot. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t super obvious but it was in the little things like how Hyejoo would wake up early to get Chaewon breakfast when the blonde girl made an off-hand comment about how she had no time to eat in the mornings. Or how she would walk her to class while yawning but not once complain or let go of Chaewon’s hand. Even when teasing, Hyejoo had a soft smile on her face, so telling of how she didn't have any malicious intent.

 

(The two were playing a game of strength, one would pull the other’s arm apart and the other would have to resist it for 5 seconds. Loser would buy the winner ice cream. It was obvious that Hyejoo was stronger but Chaewon’s pride didn’t let her go down without a fight. She ends up losing with red marks on her forearms where Hyejoo gripped them. 

 

“You’re too weak, Won.” Hyejoo teases with a wolfish grin. Chaewon whines indignantly at that.

 

“No I’m not! You’re just freakishly gigantic!” Hyejoo laughs and leans forward to give the blonde a kiss on her forehead. Their height difference was good for something after all, Chaewon thinks. 

 

Hyejoo ends up buying Chaewon ice cream despite winning.)

 

Jiwoo was especially warmed by how Hyejoo was so tuned-in to Chaewon’s presence that she always seemed to know when the blonde was approaching, her poker face melting into something softer for Chaewon and her posture encompassing Chaewon to make her feel more comfortable. It reminded Jiwoo a lot of how Sooyoung would be with her. The cousins really knew how to make someone feel special. 

 

Jiwoo even found Hyejoo’s behavior with Sooyoung to be endearing. 

 

---

 

The cousins were talking about a dance video that they just watched. Jiwoo was sitting on Sooyoung’s bed as she watched the two of them seriously discuss the moves and techniques used in the dance routine. Hyejoo was so animated while talking about how they should plan the dance cover they were going to film that Sooyoung grinned and ruffled her hair.

 

“It’s so great to have you around now Baby Wolf. Jungeun and I were lacking in members to dance with us. Heejin does sometimes but she’s been too busy with classes lately.” Hyejoo let out a whine at her hair being ruffled up. Her lips were pouting and her cheeks puffed out. 

 

“It’s nice to be here with you too, unnie.” Hyejoo says lowly. 

 

“What’s that, kiddo? I couldn’t hear you over how cute your cheeks are.” Sooyoung says as she pinches said cheeks.

 

With a light blush on her cheeks, Hyejoo admits shyly, “That doesn’t even make any sense!...but, I missed you too unnie.” Both Jiwoo and Sooyoung squeal at the admission and proceed to crush her between them in a hug.

 

Jiwoo could definitely see why Sooyoung adored her baby cousin so much.

 

---

 

Jiwoo had also realized that Hyejoo liked to dress in darker colors but she wasn’t really by any means a goth-punk kid. On the contrary, Hyejoo was actually very adorable.

 

She would sometimes dance to cute girl-group songs inside the studio to entertain Chaewon. Or act a little cute to make Chaewon laugh. Even that little nickname, ‘Won’ was cute. 

 

Or one time, she approached Jiwoo when she was alone outside the lunch area. She had just gotten out of finals. Hyejoo’s expression was a bit intimidating to Jiwoo so admittedly, Jiwoo was a little scared.

 

“Jiwoo u-unnie… w-would you come with me to get Won some flowers? I wanted to get her something s-since she’s just about to finish her finals. A-and help me carry some food for everyone else?” Hyejoo had stuttered with a light blush on her cheeks and her hands fiddling with her sleeves in nervousness. Jiwoo released a breath that she didn't even realize she was holding.

 

How could Jiwoo say no to Hyejoo when she was all shy and cute and sweet like that? Chaewon really had gotten lucky.

 

So yes, Jiwoo was definitely okay with Hyejoo dating their group’s fairy princess. 

 

If only she could get the others to see what she sees.

 

Jinsoul, Heejin, and Haseul were still suspicious of Hyejoo and even created a ‘Fairy Princess Park Chaewon Protection Squad’ or FPPCPS for short to, well, protect Chaewon from evil.

 

The evil being her goth-punk girlfriend. 

 

Truthfully, Haseul wasn’t really a part of the squad, she was kind of dragged into it against her will. But she went along with it anyways to prevent the other two protective lunatics from doing anything too chaotic. It was really hard being the mom-friend. Haseul missed Kahei in chaotic times like these the most.  

 

Even Jungeun, Jinsoul’s soon-to-be-girlfriend, befriended Hyejoo easily after practicing a dance routine together. 

 

So, really, Jinsoul and Heejin were the only ones who needed convincing. It shouldn’t be too hard, considering how kind-hearted the two typically were.

 

--

 

It turns out that it was harder to get Jinsoul and Heejin to warm up to Hyejoo than Chaewon thought. 

 

Every time Chaewon would try to hold Hyejoo’s hand or do couple things with her with the other two in proximity, they would make an excuse to come in between them. 

 

Exhibit A: “Oh, Chae, would you mind holding these books for me? They don’t fit into my bag.” Jinsoul says as she places the books onto one of the weakest person of their group. Chaewon is forced to let go of her hand. Hyejoo, seeing her smaller girlfriend struggle slightly at the heavy books, offers to carry them. 

 

She sees Jinsoul giving her the stink eye out of the corner of her eye and doesn’t dare to say anything more. For Jinsoul might just use the heavy biology books to club her to death with how closely she was standing next to Chaewon.

 

Exhibit B: “It’s a little cold in here.” Chaewon rubs her shoulders and arms to generate some warmth. Hyejoo pulls off her leather biking jacket to give to Chaewon when Heejin beats her to the punch. 

 

“Here Chae! Use this!” Heejin proceeds to throw a large, winter padding jacket on Chaewon’s head, blocking her vision.

 

“Heejin! It’s spring time! It’s a bit too warm to be wearing something like this. I only said I was a little cold!” Chaewon complains. But Heejin was having none of that and slips Chaewon’s arms into the padded jacket and even pulls out a scarf from her bag to wrap around Chaewon’s neck. Hyejoo can only look on in part amused and in part worried about her tiny lover. 

 

Exhibit C is perhaps Chaewon’s favorite (read: hated): Hyejoo and Chaewon were enjoying a walk in the park after having a dinner date when Jinsoul and Heejin decided to crash the walk. Chaewon and Hyejoo were innocently walking with their hands linked between them, enjoying the night breeze. They stop when they reach the railing of the river, with Hyejoo leaning in close to Chaewon’s face. Seeing this, Jinsoul and Heejin come up to Chaewon’s sides and grab her hands to hold.

 

“Why Chae, if you wanted someone to hold your hand, you could have just told us!”

 

“Yeah Chae. We would be happy to hold your hand. Do you need a kiss too?”

 

Startled, Hyejoo can only look on helplessly as her girlfriend’s two best friends interrupting their date. Chaewon mourns at the loss of an opportunity to kiss Hyejoo.

 

---

 

Today, the group was outside, enjoying a picnic with the nice weather. Finals were completed so they decided to go out for a picnic. Chaewon and Hyejoo were the only ones sitting on the picnic mat, as the others went to the nearby convenience store to buy some ice cream. 

 

Thankfully, the angel-sent from heaven Haseul was able to drag away the two FPPCPS members before they could try to sabotage the young couple’s time together. Chaewon makes a mental note to thank Haseul with some delicious food later.

 

Her girlfriend was dressed in an adorably light blue sweater and white pants and round glasses. Her eyes were irritated from wearing contacts too long as she stayed up to play games in the middle of the night. Not that Chaewon was complaining, as it was rare to see her girlfriend look so soft. Even Jiwoo had squealed over how cute Hyejoo was today which lead to Chaewon scowling in jealousy and Sooyoung pulling Jiwoo into a back hug. 

 

Now, with full stomachs, Hyejoo pulls Chaewon backwards into a back hug and wrapped her arms over Chaewon’s tiny frame. Chaewon felt Hyejoo’s head fall heavily on her shoulder, the younger girl’s eyes already closed.

 

“Tired?” Chaewon asks as she reaches back to rub Hyejoo’s cheek. Hyejoo lets out a hum, too comfortable with the tiny blonde in her arms to give a proper response. 

 

“Hey listen, I know these past few days were a bit troublesome but I’m happy that you haven’t lost your temper with those two.” Chaewon says earnestly. There were many occasions where Chaewon thought Hyejoo was going to lose her temper and explode on her friends. Luckily it hasn’t happened yet.

 

Hyejoo chuckles with her eyes still closed. “Not going to lie, there were definitely many times where I thought I was going to strangle them.” They both laugh at that. 

 

“But they are your friends and I know they are just looking out for you. Especially since we kept it a secret for so long.” Chaewon feels her insides warming at Hyejoo’s thoughtfulness. Hyejoo may seem blunt and standoffish but not once did Chaewon ever doubt Hyejoo’s sincerity when it comes to social relationships. The younger girl really puts in all of her effort with the people that she loves. And Chaewon feels really lucky to be on the receiving end of her affections. 

 

“Still, do you think I’ll ever be able to get along with those two? I want to get along with them, not just because I’m dating you, but because they seem like cool people.” Hyejoo asks, uncertainty lacing her tone. Chaewon fully twists around to hold Hyejoo’s face in her hands.

 

“You will. Because you’re amazing and cool and lovable. Plus anyone who thinks those two lame dweebs are cool deserves a gold medal.”

 

“You think I’m cool?”

 

“Sometimes. But most of the time, I just think about how happy you make me and how much I love you.” Chaewon says this with all that she is. If there is one thing one could say without any doubt about Chaewon, it would be how much she loved Hyejoo. They were soulmates in her eyes. 

 

Hyejoo smiles brightly at Chaewon. She thinks that her heart couldn't be more full of love for the blonde but clearly, Chaewon is out to prove her wrong. Hyejoo grabs the back of Chaewon’s neck and drags her to lay down next to her on the picnic mat. The younger leans forward to place a soft kiss on her lips.

 

“I love you too.” Hyejoo whispers against her lips as she pulls away. Chaewon snuggles her way into the crook of Hyejoo’s neck, content all the while. They both close their eyes for a short while, blissfully spending this quiet moment together. 

 

--

 

“Aren’t they just the cutest?” Jiwoo whispers excitedly. The others return from the convenience store to see the young couple cuddled up and taking a nap. Hyejoo was lying face-up, her round glasses still perched on her face. Chaewon was snuggled into the younger’s neck, one hand was clutching at the hem of Hyejoo’s sweater. 

 

Sooyoung kneels down to pull off Hyejoo’s glasses to let her nap more comfortably but she is only part way successful. Hyejoo opens her eyes slightly at the sensation of something being pulled off her face. 

 

Sleepily, she glances around at the others and then to the girl sleeping in her arms. Without even thinking about it, she places a kiss on the top of her head and shuts her eyes again, drifting off to dreamland. 

 

Meanwhile, Jiwoo squeals as she snaps a thousand pictures of the two. Haseul, Sooyoung, and Jungeun let out smiles at the cute interaction. 

 

Jinsoul and Heejin simply stare at the couple and even they can’t deny how cute that was. Not that they would ever say that out loud. So maybe they had been slightly wrong about Hyejoo. 

 

--

 

After that picnic, Jinsoul and Heejin began to warm up to Hyejoo, albeit slightly. They stopped trying to get in between Chaewon and Hyejoo when they were holding hands or embracing one another but they definitely weren’t above doing ridiculous things to stop them from kissing. 

 

(Chaewon still has a slight bruise on her lip from when Heejin barreled into her, causing her to bump into Hyejoo’s chin with her teeth.)

 

Still, Heejin was getting closer to Hyejoo because they started practicing their dance cover together. Hyejoo was still a bit shy around Heejin but things were definitely changing. Heejin could see how much effort and passion Hyejoo put into dancing (not to mention her natural talent for it) and she could appreciate that. The older girl even told her so, resulting in the younger beaming for the rest of the dance session.

 

Today was the day that the group of friends were going to watch the dancers of the team film their dance cover for a competition. The cover was going to be filmed outdoors in a slightly busy street. Spectators were already there, phones out, waiting around to see what was about to happen. 

 

By the time they got there, Sooyoung, Hyejoo, Jungeun, Heejin and two other girls that looked similar to Hyejoo were already dressed in simple black shirts and training pants. 

 

They got into position when the cameraman told them that it was about to start. The others cheered loudly, especially Jiwoo for the girls. 

 

Some students from their university passed by and recognized some of the girls about to dance and stopped to cheer as well. Sooyoung was especially popular among the student body for being pretty like a model and a great dancer. This only fueled Jiwoo to cheer even louder for her girlfriend. Chaewon and Jinsoul winced at the loud girl yelling right into their ears. Haseul could only let out a sigh but chuckled in amusement shortly after.

 

Finally, the music and the dancers got into character right away. The song was Cherry Bomb by NCT127. They moved fluidly and accurately, hitting all of the hard points with practiced ease. When it was Heejin’s turn for the center, the students from the university cheered even harder at how cool she was. Of course, Sooyoung received the loudest cheers of all. Even the other two girls who were unfamiliar were impressive as well. Half way through the dance, Jungeun shot the camera a wink and Jinsoul pretended to swoon dramatically at the display.

 

But Chaewon only had eyes for one person. The highlight part of the dance where some of them leaned back into the ground was so cool. Especially since Hyejoo was right at the center of it. And that b-boy move she did to get back up was so impressive, Chaewon could hear some of the crowd murmur about who that girl could be. Chaewon could feel herself getting a little possessive.  

 

Looks like Hyejoo’s popularity is already rising, Chaewon thought to herself. Good thing they were already dating. 

 

The dance ended with a bang and the now sweaty girls grabbed water bottles to drink. The crowd clapped hard for the dance crew. After all, it’s not everyday that you witness a group of girls dance to a difficult boy group song with perfection. 

 

“Hyejoo! You were great!” Chaewon says as she approaches the team. 

 

“Thanks, Won.” Hyejoo responds with a quick peck to the smaller girl’s lips. “I’m a bit sweaty right now so I’ll go get changed and then we can all head over to that restaurant for lunch.”

 

Chaewon smiled smugly after the kiss because surely, some of the students saw and they should now know to back off. She could also see Sooyoung and Jiwoo sharing a brief kiss. Jungeun received a kiss on the cheek from Jinsoul. Heejin pouted at not having anyone to get a kiss from so Haseul ruffled her hair in consolation. 

 

--

 

They seated themselves in a Korean Barbeque restaurant.

 

“So, everyone, I’d like to introduce you to my friends: Kim Hyunjin and Choi Yerim.” Hyejoo introduces. The two wave back at the unfamiliar faces.

 

“Hyunjin unnie is transferring over to this university. And Yerim is the same age as me so we will both be starting here together. They will also be joining our dance team.” 

 

The others say their ‘nice to meet yous’, happy to see their group expanding. Chaewon, Haseul, and Jinsoul proceed to introduce themselves. 

 

Yerim stands up excitedly to shake their hands. She shook Chaewon’s hand particularly hard.

 

“It’s so good to finally meet you Chaewon unnie! Hyejoo spoke a lot about you but we’ve never seen you before. Hyunjin unnie and I were beginning to think that she made you up to get us off her back.” Chaewon laughs at that and returns the handshake with vigor. 

 

The group cut their conversation short when the meat arrives to the table. Jiwoo enthusiastically grills the meat like an expert, Haseul egging her on by telling her how cool she looks while she grills the meat. 

 

The group has light conversation around the table. Even Jinsoul and Heejin are laughing at a joke that Hyejoo made. Chaewon thinks that they are going to end up as great friends sooner rather than later and she couldn’t be any happier about it. 

 

Then suddenly, Hyunjin turns over to Heejin who is next to her to wipe off some sauce that got on her lips. 

 

“Thanks, Hyun.” Heejin shoots a sweet smile at the other girl. The others at the table stop what they are doing to stare at the two. 

 

“No problem, Heekkie.” If the occupants at the table were confused before, they were definitely flabbergasted now. 

 

“Are you two…?” Haseul is the first to speak up, saying what everyone at the table was thinking. 

 

Having caught on to what the others were implying, Heejin speaks up with a slight blush on her face, “N-no we aren’t. It’s just that Hyunjin and I knew each other before. Remember that summer camp I did back in high school? I met her there but we lost contact after that.”

 

“Hmm but that doesn’t explain why you too are so close to one another. How come we didn't know and we’ve been practicing together for Cherry Bomb?” Hyejoo asks bluntly. 

 

“Hm. Aeong.” Hyunjin says with a cryptic smile on her face. Heejin just blushes harder at that. Hyejoo narrows her eyes in suspicion. Chaewon just feels a headache coming on at the situation.

 

--

 

Hyejoo can really be playful and mischievous when she wanted to be. Hell, her and Sooyoung clown each other all the time. And it was definitely obvious with the way she was staring at Heejin, plotting. Maybe this was her way of taking revenge for Heejin’s interference with her girlfriend time. 

 

They were currently hanging out at a cafe when Hyejoo decides to drop a bomb.

 

“So Heejin unnie, Hyunjin unnie never mentioned that she knew you.” Heejin chokes on her drink with Chaewon reaching across the table to pat her back. Hyejoo really was too blunt sometimes.

 

“Or that she likes you.” Heejin chokes a second time and Chaewon is beginning to get worried about the red color of Heejin’s face. Heejin feels like she might die from embarrassment from the two bombs Hyejoo just casually dropped on her.  

 

After calming down sufficiently, Heejin rubs the back of her neck sheepishly. “I-I’m not sure why Hyun never mentioned me. Actually, she had never mentioned you by name either. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have given you such a hard time for dating Chae. I’m sorry.”

 

Hyejoo is silent, her poker face not giving how she was feeling away. Chaewon was beginning to get worried so she clasped her hand onto Hyejoo’s arm. Heejin was also starting to squirm under the intense gaze. 

 

Suddenly, Hyejoo bursts out laughing. Chaewon and Heejin glance at each other, unsure if they should laugh along or call the police. 

 

“It’s alright, Heejin unnie. I forgive you since I know you were only looking out for Chaewon. Besides, anyone who could like that dog-barking, cat-human can’t possibly be a bad person.” Hyejoo says after calming down. Chaewon laughs at her girlfriend’s description of Hyunjin.

 

“And you’ve got some great dance moves so I’d love it if we could be friends.” She says, shier than the last statement. Honestly, Hyejoo and her ways of charming people were really effective.

 

Heejin’s face breaks out into a bright smile, relieved and also flattered by Hyejoo’s honesty. She gives Chaewon and Hyejoo a thumbs up. “Absolutely. You guys are the best couple. Don’t tell Jiwoo unnie and Sooyoung unnie though.” 

 

--

 

It really wasn’t hard to get Jinsoul to fully like Hyejoo after seeing her dance and having her around their friend group. Hell, one could say that Jinsoul already liked Hyejoo, seeing how well she treats Chaewon despite her cold looks. 

 

But this, Jinsoul thinks, takes the cake. 

 

Jinsoul was studying in the library when Hyejoo walks in, nervousness on her features. She takes a seat in front of Jinsoul and waits for her to mark her page.

 

“Hyejoo? What’s up? How did you know I was here?”

 

“Uhm… I saw you walking in here. A-anyways, t-there’s something I wanted to ask you, or rather g-give you.” Hyejoo stuttered. Jinsoul tilts her head in confusion.

 

“Won and I were planning on going to the aquarium but her parents came by unexpectedly so she had to cancel. I was wondering if y-you’d like to have them and go with J-Jungeun unnie...I know you’re studying marine biology so I figured if I want to give these tickets away, it should be to someone who will enjoy it. Of-of course, if you are too busy and if this is b-bothersome, you don't have to accept-”

 

“Hyejoo.” Jinsoul stops Hyejoo’s rambling with a raised hand and a lopsided smile. Hyejoo was just too endearing sometimes. Jinsoul wonders why she was ever suspicious of this cute kid. “I’d love to go to the aquarium with Jungeun. Thank you. This is very thoughtful of you.” 

 

Hyejoo turns on her phone to send the tickets and Jinsoul can’t help but smile when she sees the background as Hyejoo and Chaewon napping that day in the park. Jinsoul reaches over the table to pat Hyejoo on the head and Hyejoo bashfully ducks her head, smiling all the while.

 

--

 

The girls are over at Sooyoung’s and Hyejoo’s apartment today to play on their last day before the summer semester starts. There were trays of take out food on the dining table and a romance movie playing in the background. 

 

Each girl was coupled up with their girlfriends (minus Yerim and Haseul so they opted to hug each other. They really missed their significant other right now but they were unable to join the get-together.), Jinsoul and Jungeun finally started to date each other. Heejin and Hyunjin were also at the beginning stages of their relationship. 

 

The movie grew too boring for Hyejoo so she opted for playing with her girlfriend’s fingers. Chaewon was sitting in between Hyejoo’s outstretched legs, her hands intertwined with bigger ones. Hyejoo leaned her chin on the top of Chaewon’s head, thinking about how she could escape from watching this sappy love movie. Unfortunately for her, Chaewon was too engrossed in the movie and wouldn’t let her backrest (Hyejoo) go. 

 

“Won-ah. Can’t we play video games instead?” Hyejoo whispered into her ear, not wanting to disturb the others from the movie.

 

“Maybe later, Hye. I want to watch.”

 

“Not even for Animal Crossing?” At that, Chaewon squirms in her seat and she can feel the beginnings of a smile forming on the other girl’s face. Chaewon shakes her head to snap out of it.

 

“Later Hye, I promise. For now, you can take a nap on my shoulder.” Chaewon feels the younger girl pout a bit but adjusts herself to lean down and rest her head against her shoulder. Hyejoo turns her head slightly to plant a kiss on Chaewon’s fluffy cheek. 

 

“Nah, I don’t want to nap right now.” Chaewon hums in response. The movie plays out for another 10 minutes before Hyunjin decides to stand up and stretch.

 

“Sorry guys but this is getting too boring for me so I’ll just be in the kitchen.” Hyunjin leans down to give Heejin a kiss on the head and leaves the room. 

 

Chaewon nudges the girl resting on her shoulder. “You can go too, if the movie is boring you out.” Hyejoo shakes her head, content to rest there with the smaller girl in her arms. 

 

The movie goes on for another few minutes when Hyejoo feels Chaewon shivering a little. The younger looks at the screen to see if a sad scene was playing but it wasn’t. Then she realized that they were sitting directly under an AC vent. Hyejoo herself was wearing her grey hoodie so she didn't notice the cold air but her small girlfriend was definitely feeling it. She swiftly tugs off the hoodie and pulls it over the smaller girl. The hoodie was large on Chaewon, the sleeves extended past her hands, giving her cute sweater paws. Chaewon squeezes Hyejoo’s hand in hers as thanks, snuggling a bit into the comfortable sweater.

 

“Alright, I also can’t take this anymore. Let’s do something else more interesting.” Jungeun says, fed up after seeing the main character lose his memories of his lover after getting into an accident. All too cliche for her. 

 

“Well what do you suggest?” Jiwoo whines after the movie gets shut off. 

 

Jungeun smiles mischievously, “Well, we never did get to hear about how Hyejoo and Chaewon met and started dating. We also don’t know Heejin’s and Hyunjin’s story for that matter.”

 

All eyes turn to the youngest couple. At being the sudden center of attention, Chaewon has a bright red blush on her cheeks while Hyejoo nervously scratches at her own cheek. 

 

“We...didn't exactly meet on good terms...” Chaewon says as she looks to her lover in confirmation. 

 

“Yeah. We met at a PC cafe and there was only one seat opened since it was nearing tournament season. So, basically we fought over who would get to have that seat. Won ended up getting the seat but...I said some things that weren’t really nice to her….” Hyejoo says sulkily. Chaewon smiles and pokes her in her fluffy cheeks with her sweater paw.

 

“It’s alright Hye. We’re already over that and dating now so don’t beat yourself up over it. Plus, you were really cute when you tried to apologize to me on our second meeting. You even roped Sooyoung unnie into helping you.” Sooyoung groans at the memory. She swears that if she didn't love her baby cousin as much as she did, she could have strangled her for putting her through such an embarrassing situation.

 

“Don’t remind me, kids.”

 

“So you kids had a rocky start?” Jinsoul asks with a laugh. “Really doesn’t seem like it, even though Hyejoo does tease you pretty often.”

 

“Yeah, Hyejoo can be a bit of a jerk at times but she has only ever been a great girlfriend since we started dating.” Unable to resist, Chaewon places a soft kiss to Hyejoo’s cheek. Hyejoo blushes lightly and ducks her head in that cute, bashful manner of hers. 

 

“So cuteeeee” Jiwoo squeals.

 

“Disgusting.” Sooyoung says but with a fond smile on her face. 

 

Chaewon and Hyejoo laugh happily, content to enjoy their time with their friends who are nothing but supportive of them.

 

--

 

After they had said their apologies, Hyejoo and Chaewon ran into each other more often than they expected. From coffee runs to PC gaming, it was like the two were constantly gravitating towards each other. The two were shy, however, and neither took the initiative to start a conversation with one another. 

 

So then, how did they get together? The answer to that depends on whose perspective.

 

Chaewon might say that they started to like each other when they  volunteered together at the local dog shelter.

 

But Hyejoo will beg to differ. For Hyejoo, she began to fall in love with the older girl much earlier, when she saw her at the park one random day.

 

It was sunny out and the wind was blowing a pleasant breeze. Hyejoo was resting against a tree after her late morning run, sweat dripping from her forehead. There were groups of families having a picnic and Chaewon was among them. Hyejoo kept her distance and stayed hidden under the shade of the tree. 

 

She could see Chaewon playing with a group of kids and even though she was definitely the tallest (and oldest) among them, that didn't stop her from partaking in their childish games. 

 

“I am princess Butterfly! I’m here to rule over you peasants!” She proclaimed with an airy tone, filled with faux confidence. She had her hands on her hips, her chest puffed out.

 

“No you’re not! You’re the evil monster, here to eat us all!” A little boy exclaimed. The kids all yell in agreement and proceed to punch her with their tiny fists. Hyejoo doubts they are causing any real harm but that doesn’t stop Chaewon from throwing her body on the ground dramatically, ignoring her white sundress. The kids laugh as they pile on top of the prone girl and Hyejoo sees Chaewon laughing with them.

 

Hyejoo unknowingly smiles at the happy look on Chaewon’s face, her heart beating faster. She wonders what it would be like to be on the receiving end of that smile. Would it be like seeing the sun up close, feeling its warmth on her skin? Or maybe more like the moon, shining in all of its brilliance?

 

Lost in her thoughts, she gets caught staring at the blonde girl. Chaewon waves her hand in front of Hyejoo’s face when she gets close enough. 

 

“Hello? Anyone home?” Chaewon asks playfully. Hyejoo snaps out of her daydream, startled to see the blonde girl in front of her. She was definitely prettier up close.

 

“The kids were starting to get scared at seeing you glare at us so I said I would defeat you and bring peace back to the kingdom. They’ll give me a pineapple badge of honor if I slay the dragon. That’s you, by the way.” Chaewon says seriously. Half of that sentence made absolutely no sense to Hyejoo but she nodded jerkily anyways.

 

“S-s-sorry. I didn’t mean to stare. I-I-I-I’ll just be on my way.” Hyejoo is quick to avert her gaze and pull away. Chaewon was about to hold her back but she can see that Hyejoo was very nervous for some reason so she let her go. Maybe she didn't do well in social situations, Chaewon thought. 

 

Later that night, Hyejoo lays awake in bed, wondering why she let a perfect opportunity to talk to the older girl go. She decides that if she runs into the blonde again, she would muster the courage to talk to her.

 

The following days took an interesting turn. Hyejoo would ‘run’ into Chaewon on her morning runs and they would proceed to have small talk whenever Hyejoo took her break from running. When asked why Chaewon was at the park every morning and with a different dog in her arms no less, she would point at the dog shelter across the street and explain that she volunteered to walk the dogs every morning.

 

(Whew. Hyejoo was beginning to think that her galaxy was a crazy cat lady but with dogs instead. It’s a relief to know she isn’t. Galaxy is the nickname she came up with when she couldn't decide whether Chaewon was a sun or a moon. Hyejoo thinks it’s a mix of both.)

 

They slowly became more acquainted with each other, learning the other’s personality and weird quirks quite easily. And Hyejoo finds herself looking forward to the small meetings every morning, watching Chaewon play with the dog she’s walking that day. Sometimes they would be very playful and run Chaewon ragged, other times they would be docile and allow the girl to squish her face against theirs.

 

Hyejoo finds it very easy to smile nowadays. She even started volunteering at the shelter to be closer to the older girl. (And if you were to ask her about the Chaewon and dog photos in her phone, she would vehemently deny their existence. She has a reputation to keep, after all.).

 

At night, she would stay up, thinking about the blonde girl, her smile, her laughter, her soft voice, even her weird dancing. She wonders when did that girl become like the Milky Way Galaxy decorations on the ceiling of her bedroom: Always in her field of vision (mind) after waking up and before going to sleep. 

 

But Hyejoo finds that she really doesn’t mind. 

 

The next day, she musters the courage to ask Chaewon to eat lunch with her. 

 

And the rest, is history.