Eunbi hadn’t been to Nako’s university in so long, not since Nako’s first day of class. It was quite impressive seeing all the students huddled together inside the gym to cheer their university’s teams on during an otherwise pleasant summer day outside. However, this meant Eunbi found herself being constantly squashed or pushed around as she attempted to manoeuvre herself past all the students and supportive family members.

“Nako, wait up!” she cried out as the small girl in front of her easily weaved through gaps in the crowd. She couldn’t lose sight of Nako now - what if Eunbi couldn’t find her later? She’d be in a right mess. There was no one else here that she knew.

But Nako was moving too fast, and Eunbi just couldn’t catch up no matter how hard she tried. When she was nudged aside for the umpteenth time, she stumbled over her feet and ended up crashing into someone else. “Oh, , sorry!” she quickly apologised, bowing.

A friendly arm slung itself over her shoulders. “Don’t worry about it.” Eunbi immediately glanced up at the sound of an amused voice; Hyewon’s pretty face grinned down back at her. “Hey, Eunbi.”

“You’re here too?” The relief that washed over Eunbi was euphoric. “Oh, thank goodness.”

“Yeah, of course. Did you lose Nako?” At Eunbi’s nod, Hyewon hummed indignantly. “Understandable, I suppose. She probably wanted to talk to the bread goddess before everything started.”

“What?”

“Hm?” Hyewon lifted her brows at Eunbi. “Oh, nothing. Come on, let’s find a place to sit before all the good spots are taken.” Taking Eunbi’s hand in hers, she navigated them through the crowd. Eunbi couldn’t help but stare at Hyewon as she allowed herself to be led. 

The grip on her hand was reassuringly warm, holding onto her tightly as Hyewon’s calm eyes scanned the bleachers for a place to sit. The model’s back seemed much bigger in that moment, inviting Eunbi to lean on her. 

“Hey, I think I see Nako,” Hyewon said, breaking Eunbi out of her reverie. She pointed to a couple of free seats right in the middle of the bleachers, where a small girl in a light blue summer dress was waving madly at them. They dashed over, settling down in the empty seats that Nako had been guarding like a mother dragon.

“Someone’s all dressed up today,” Hyewon drawled, flashing a knowing grin at Nako. 

Tossing her hair back, Nako smoothed her skirt down and simpered. “Please, I always strive to look good when we go out, unlike a certain someone who looked like she rolled out of bed two minutes ago.” Hyewon scrambled to her feet, glaring at Nako and hissing. The younger girl got to her feet as well, sticking her tongue out and pulling a face.

“Okay, children, settle down,” Eunbi instructed, pulling them back into their seats to calm them down. “Looks like the competition’s about to start.”

As the emcee stepped up to the podium, Nako leaned into Eunbi and tugged on her sleeve. “I need to tell you something,” Nako whispered. At Eunbi’s questioning look, she glanced down at where a team of cheerleaders were preparing to perform. “Later,” she added.

Still confused, Eunbi could only nod. She focused on the cheerleaders again, occasionally glancing around to observe other attendees. Her sharp eyes started to pick up on outfits that clashed, outfits that were perfectly put together, and everything else in between. She stared at handbags and jewellery, noting them down in her head, piecing them together with the designs already forming in her head. That was, until Hyewon poked her in the thigh.

“You’re thinking too loud,” Hyewon whispered. She patted Eunbi’s hand and, wide eyes scanning her face, tucked a stray curl of hair behind Eunbi’s ear