It’s the last weekend before school starts, and Chorong is at Eunkwang’s house where people swarm around, getting out the last of their restless energy before it’s back to the books. Never being much of a party animal, Chorong finds herself hanging out in the living room with some of her closer friends.

Bomi is already three drinks in and sprawled across the floor, tripping random passersbys with her waving limbs, but Chorong is safe from that, sitting on Eunji’s lap on the couch. She leans against Eunji, also glad she has her so she isn’t fending off unwanted advances all night. Chorong smiles when Eunji leans into her as well, now only half-listening to whatever story Bomi is telling.

“Isn’t that right, Chorong?” Bomi says suddenly.

Chorong sits up, blinking a few times. “Isn’t what right?”

“You weren’t even listening,” Bomi whines. “I have to start over now.”

“Please don’t,” Eunji calls out, and when Chorong glances back at her, she’s wearing a playful grin.

“Fine,” Bomi huffs, “but as I was saying…” 

Chorong laughs and gets up to get another drink. It’s when she’s mixing her drink that she hears someone ask, “Why do you do that?” 

Pausing with a bottle of tequila in her hand, Chorong turns to Namjoo who stands beside her with a curious smile. Smiling back, Chorong asks, “Do what?”

“Sit on Eunji’s lap when there are like six other places to sit,” Namjoo replies. 

Chorong frowns a little bit and turns to look at where all of their friends are gathered in the living room. Shrugging, she goes back to her drink and says, “Six is a bit of an exaggeration. I could sit on the couch, but it would be a tight squeeze, and I could sit on the floor, but Bomi has pretty much taken up most of the space. Besides, it’s just not as comfortable.”

“Right,” Namjoo laughs, plucking the newly finished drink from Chorong’s hands. “I’m sure it’s much more comfortable in Eunji’s lap.” She skips off with Chorong’s drink, rejoining the party with an excited shout.  

Chorong huffs and glares after her, but then she catches Eunji’s eye. The other girl smiles brightly at her and waves for her to come back. Chorong smiles back and quickly makes another drink. Chorong walks back and settles herself in Eunji’s lap once more, Eunji’s arm automatically wrapping itself around her waist. 

“Whatcha drinking?” Eunji asks, propping her head on Chorong’s shoulder. Chorong wordlessly holds the cup to her lips, grinning as she watches Eunji take a sip then wrinkle her nose. “Tequila?” Eunji practically gags as she pushes the cup away. “Am I going to have to carry you back to your place?”

“No, I plan on stopping after this one,” Chorong assures her.

Eunji laughs and says, “Good, because I don’t think I’d be able to carry you and Bomi.”

They both turn to look where Bomi is now fast asleep on the floor, covered by a fuzzy blanket with little dancing pandas on it. Chorong giggles and shakes her head. “I’ll help you carry her.”

“Of course you will,” Eunji nods. “I need the help, and it’s the least you can do after sitting on me all night.”

Chorong blushes, thinking back to Namjoo’s question earlier. She pinches Eunji’s thigh and says, “Oh, so now I have to repay you for sitting on your lap? You know, a lot of people would do something for me to sit on their lap, not make me do something for them.”

“What if I wanted some other pretty girl to sit in my lap, but she couldn’t because you were already there?” Eunji asks with an easy smile. The question makes Chorong tense for some reason, but before she can say anything, Eunji is saying, “Just kidding. Well, about wanting some other girl on my lap. I’m too busy for more than a hook-up right now, but I was serious about needing you to help me carry Bomi though.”

Chorong laughs, but it comes out kind of awkward. She clears and says, “Come on, we should carry her home now before we have to start dodging more drunk people on the way out.”

That night, Eunji helps Chorong get Bomi back to their apartment successfully with minimal vomit. After Bomi is safely tucked in bed, Chorong walks Eunji to the door and says, “Thanks for helping with Bomi.” Because even if they joked about how it was Chorong helping Eunji, they both know it’s the other way around. Without Eunji, there’s no way Chorong would’ve been able to get Bomi home without giving her some bruises from bumping her into things.

“Anytime,” Eunji shrugs. Then she grins and adds, “Just remember this the next time I want to sit on your lap for a change.”

“Not gonna happen,” Chorong snorts. “You’re too heavy, and your is huge. It’s gross, and it would never fit on my lap.”

“Oh, so you’ve been looking?” Eunji winks. When Chorong blushes, Eunji just laughs and says, “It’s okay. I know I have a pretty nice . I don’t blame you for looking.” She leans in and whispers, “You probably wouldn’t be able to handle me sitting on your lap anyways.”

Chorong blushes even darker and gently pushes Eunji away. “Good night,” Chorong says pointedly, hand on the front door.

“Good night,” Eunji echoes happily and leaves with another cheeky grin and a wave. 

Chorong shuts the door behind her and shakes her head. She was not purposefully looking. It’s just very hard to miss that about Eunji. She wasn’t looking. 

-

It’s a few weeks later that Chorong is hanging out with her friends in the grassy area in front of the library. It’s rare that everyone is free at the same time, so they’re all taking advantage of each other’s company and the warm weather.

“I need a break after my test of Friday,” Chorong complains, leaning back against Eunji’s chest. Although she’d originally been sitting in Eunji’s lap to avoid the grass, Chorong noticed Eunji shifting every so often, so to give her legs a break, Chorong moved their legs so she’s sitting between Eunji’s. “Maybe I’ll just sleep all weekend.”

“That’s no fun,” Eunji tells her, nudging her leg against Chorong’s. “Come over after your test and I’ll make you dinner. Maybe we can watch a movie after if you’re not too tired.”

Not having to cook for herself always has a certain appeal and Eunji’s a great cook, so Chorong nods and says, “Okay, sure.”

“Eunji, why don’t you cook me dinner after I have tests?” Hayoung complains from where she’s laid out across from them. “I’m your roommate, remember?”

“You’re the one always in her room playing games,” Eunji replies. “I tell you when dinner is ready, but you just crawl out of your room five hours later and complain about it being cold.”

Hayoung pouts and says, “Maybe you should make food I’ll want to eat immediately.”

Eunji rolls her eyes and leans forwards to press her lips against Chorong’s ear as she whispers, “I don’t think all the food in the world could get her out of her room when she’s playing her games.”

Chorong giggles and settles herself more comfortably against Eunji as the rest of their friends talk around them.

-

On Friday night, Chorong sits between Eunji’s legs on the couch as they watch a movie. She’s not really interested in the movie, and with a stomach full of homemade pasta, she’s more than a little sleepy. Chorong spends the movie with her face either tucked away in the crook of Eunji’s neck, snoozing during the more boring parts of the movie, or with Eunji murmuring random comments in her ear that make her giggle. 

“I really don’t want to move,” Chorong mumbles as the movie credits play.

Eunji laughs quietly. With her arms wrapped around her, the way they were the entire movie, she gives Chorong a gentle squeeze and says, “Then don’t. Just stay the night here.”

“Is this you offering to be my pillow for the whole night?” Chorong asks with a sleepy grin.

“I’m comfortable,” Eunji replies simply.

Chorong wiggles around to get a better look at Eunji’s face, barely visible by the light from the TV. Eunji smiles down at her, but there’s something else in her eyes. “Do you really not mind?” Chorong asks. “Not just now, but… I guess whenever I do sit in your lap, you don’t mind?”

Eunji doesn’t say anything for a moment, and in the dim lighting, it’s hard to read her expression. But then, Eunji smiles softly and says, “I don’t mind, really.”

“Really?” Chorong says dubiously.

Eunji leans forward and presses her cheek against Chorong’s, affectionate but also making it harder for Chorong to see her face. “Really,” Eunji says. “I, uh, I like it, so don’t stop for my sake.”

“Oh,” is all Chorong can think to say. She sinks back into Eunji’s hold and feels Eunji’s head move to rest against hers more comfortably. “Okay… Good night then.”

Eunji’s arms tighten around her ever so slightly. “Good night.”

-

“Who’s that?” Chorong asks Naeun. 

A small group of their friends are taking a weekend trip, so they’re all at the bus station on Saturday morning. Bomi, Namjoo, and Hayoung ran off to buy snacks, leaving Chorong and Naeun to stand with their bags. Eunji had been with Chorong and Naeun at first, but another girl had called out to her, and Eunji told them she’d be right back. 

Naeun looks up from her phone, eyes glancing between Chorong and Eunji. Her face gives away nothing as she says, “I don’t recognize her, but she’s probably just one of Eunji’s admirers.” 

“Admirers?” Chorong repeats.

This time Naeun completely lowers her phone to look at Chorong. She stares at Chorong for a long moment before saying, “Yeah, you know, the people who are in her classes and clubs and have crushes on her. She’s had them since, like, middle school.” Naeun knows this because she grew up with Eunji while Chorong only met them a little over a year ago. When Chorong doesn’t say something immediately, Naeun shrugs and adds, “Don’t worry about it. She usually doesn’t date any of them. She’s just too nice to tell them no outright.”

“Why would I worry about that?” Chorong asks, now staring at Naeun with pursed lips and furrowed brows.

Naeun gives her a ghost of a smile and replies, “You’re right. Why would you worry about that?”

Before Chorong can even begin to think of how to reply to that, Eunji is walking back over to them with an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that,” Eunji says, unaware of the conversation she just interrupted. “She’s just a girl from my math class. She’s also going to the beach with friends and was trying to get me to go with her.”

“And what did you say?” Naeun asks, amusement clear in her voice as she eyes Eunji.

Eunji meets Naeun’s gaze and laughs loudly. Shaking her head, Eunji says, “Oh, you know, Naeun, the same old thing. I’d love to, but I can’t.” 

“I’m taken?” Naeun guesses the next part of her sentence.

A strange look passes between Eunji and Naeun before Eunji shakes her head and says in an even voice, “No, I just said I was going with friends this weekend, but maybe some other time.” Another inexplicable look passes between them. Eunji turns to Chorong with a bright smile that looks just a little strained. “What are you two doing, still standing? Let’s sit until we have to go meet our bus.”

Eunji walks over to a row of chairs, dragging all of their bags with them. After setting the bags down, she plops down in one of the chairs and waves Chorong and Naeun over to join her. Naeun follows easily and sits down beside Eunji, and Chorong goes to do the same but then Eunji’s hand is on her hip and gently guiding her to sit on her lap. Chorong follows the motion, but as soon as she sits, she catches Naeun’s eye and blushes.

“Eunji,” Chorong murmurs hesitantly. She knows Eunji said she likes it when she sits in her lap, but she’s pretty sure she just said that to reassure her. “I can sit in my own chair. There’s plenty.”

Eunji hand moves away from her hip immediately. There’s something off in her voice as Eunji says, “Oh, sorry.”

Chorong gets up and sits on the other side of her. She tries to ask Eunji if she’s okay, but she’s already talking to Naeun about something. With a confused frown, Chorong shakes her head and checks the time for their bus.

-

“Marshmallows are the best invention ever,” Bomi says, just as her own marshmallow catches on fire. She panics and tries to put out the fire by shaking her stick, but she only succeeds in making the marshmallow drop into the sand. “Aw man,” Bomi whines. “That one was almost perfectly roasted before that.”

The six of them are sitting around a bonfire on Sunday night, enjoying the last of their mini vacation before they have to get on an ungodly early bus tomorrow to get back to the city before their classes. It’s been a fun weekend on the beach with great weather to compliment the cool ocean, but the entire time, Chorong has been bothered by whatever is going on with Eunji.

Eunji isn’t avoiding her persay, but she isn’t glued to her side like she usually is. She spent most of the weekend getting up to no good with Bomi and Hayoung, and that isn’t abnormal, but she didn’t seek out Chorong at all. Honestly, she’s been acting kind of strange since Chorong moved off her lap in the bus station. Did Chorong somehow hurt her feelings by doing that?

Not one to let things fester, Chorong gets up to grab a beer from the cooler, but on her way back, she doesn’t go back to her original seat. Instead, she sits down right on Eunji’s lap, startling the other girl so much that the marshmallow she’d been roasting meets its burnt demise. 

“Chorong…”

“Is this fine?”

A pause. Then, Eunji relaxes and murmurs, “Yeah, it’s fine.”

“Are we fine?” Chorong asks quietly, even though the other girl are completely absorbed by whatever story Namjoo is telling and not even paying attention to them. Chorong feels Eunji tense again. “Did I do something to upset you?”

Eunji’s arms slowly come up to wrap themselves around her. She places her hands on top of Chorong’s and holds them. “No,” Eunji answer, just as quiet, “no, you didn’t.” She squeezes Chorong’s hands. “I guess I just needed some space.”

“From me?”

“I guess.”

Chorong looks back at Eunji now. Her face is closer than she thought it’d be, soft and illuminated by the bonfire. Chorong traces the curve of her nose and jaw and the shadows of her face, and Chorong forgets how to breathe. Eunji has always been pretty, but in this moment, she almost looks ethereal. For a moment, Chorong wonders what it would be like to lean in and kiss her. 

Then she realizes what she’s thinking, and Chorong looks away so quickly she’s afraid she might’ve just given herself whiplash. Her heart is pounding so hard and fast that Chorong can feel it all the way in her ears. Chorong takes a deep breath.

“I’m sorry if I’ve been too clingy,” Chorong forces herself to say, even as her head spins with the thought she just had. This is Eunji. When has she ever wanted to kiss Eunji? It’s just the bonfire. “Are we okay though?”

“You’re not too clingy,” Eunji tells her, holding her closer, her chest pressed against Chorong’s back and her head resting against Chorong’s. “I’ve just… had a lot in my mind. I just needed some time to be silly, and I knew you’d sooner scold me than join me for that.” She says the last part lightly, but Chorong can’t help but think there’s still something off about it. 

“Okay,” Chorong says instead of pushing. She’s still too preoccupied with her own thoughts to question Eunji’s.

Then, Eunji brushes her lips against Chorong’s cheek in a soft kiss, and Chorong feels her heart leap into . “Thank you,” Eunji whispers.

Chorong can’t form any words and merely burrows more into Eunji’s arms. 

-

“I have a problem.”

“Oh, is that why all of us except for Eunji are sitting in this nice cafe?”

Eunji is taking a test right now and thinks all of them are meeting at four after she finishes. In actuality, Chorong asked all of the other girls to show up an hour early, so she could talk to them.

“So, what’s up?” Namjoo asks, slurping up her milkshake with curious eyes. When Chorong doesn’t say anything, unsure of how to explain how she’s feeling, Namjoo smiles warmly at her and says, “Hey, you can talk to us about anything, you know that, right?”

“I do,” Chorong says, but she still remains silent. “I just…”

“This is about Eunji, right?” Hayoung guesses. “That’s why we’re meeting up while she’s still in her test?”

Chorong nods slowly. She takes a deep breath then spits out, “Yeah, I was just wondering if you guys ever thought that, maybe, Eunji and I would date.” She says this so quickly that her tongue almost trips over itself in getting out the words. After she says that, Chorong squeezes her eyes shut, waiting for the reply. However, when the girls don’t say anything, Chorong hesitantly opens her eyes and sees them all smiling at her. Flushing, Chorong snaps, “What are you smiling at?”

“You,” Bomi laughs. “You finally realizing you like Eunji.”

Chorong blinks. Then she says, “Finally?”

“For a while, I thought you were dating but just hiding it from us,” Hayoung admits before eating a heaping spoonful of ice cream. “I mean, Eunji does, like, everything for you. Plus, you’re always sitting on her lap. It doesn’t exactly shout platonic, now does it?”

Then Naeun speaks up, “I’ve only ever seen Eunji like this when she dated someone in high school, but I don’t think, even then, she was as sickeningly in love with them as she is with you.”

“You aren’t supposed to tell her about Eunji’s feelings!” Bomi protests, reaching across the table to hit Naeun. “How could you betray her like that?”

Naeun rolls her eyes, “She betrays herself every time she looks at Chorong.”

“But Chorong didn’t know that!” Bomi argues. She sighs and turns to Chorong. “Whatever, it doesn’t matter anymore. Are you going to confess?”

“I hadn’t planned that far ahead,” Chorong says hesitantly. She looks at all of the girls’ nonchalant faces. “You really aren’t surprised? You don’t think this will turn out badly?”

“Eunji really likes you,” Namjoo shrugs easily. “It’s why she hasn’t dated anyone since the two of you met.” She steals a bite of cake from Naeun. “Like Hayoung, I thought you knew and were just taking your time. But then, you didn’t make a move for like six months, and I realized you were blind, or maybe just really dumb.”

“She’s right,” Naeun agrees. When Chorong looks at her, offended, Naeun just laughs. “Hey, Eunji is about as subtle as a ton of bricks when she likes someone. You really are dumb if you’re just now realizing.”

“Okay, I get it!” Chorong huffs. “I am stupid and blind and completely in love with Eunji!”

All of the girls laugh at her while Chorong buries her face in her hands. It’s Bomi that wraps an arm around her and tells her, “Yes, but we still love you. Now, all you have to do is confess.”

-

Confessing is easier said than done.

It’s almost been a month since Chorong realized she loves Eunji.

Chorong sees Eunji at least once a week, whether it’s in between classes or hanging out after, but not once has Chorong found the right time to talk about her revelation. Then again, is there really a right time to say ‘I realized I’m in love with you and you’re in love with me and all of our friends have known this for a year’? The short answer is no, there’s not.

This leaves Chorong in an uncomfortable position where she knows everything while Eunji still thinks she knows nothing, and it’s just so awkward. Because now, Chorong notices everything Eunji does, and the worst part is Chorong realizing that she hasn’t changed anything. Eunji’s always acted like this, and Chorong literally has been blind. She understands why Naeun called her dumb now.

It’s a Saturday night, and while Chorong knows a friend Eunji invited her out to a party, she’s at home with Chorong because Chorong said she didn’t feel like going out. Like she said, Chorong’s been absolutely blind, and it’s very embarrassing to realize it in moments like this.

After some take-out for dinner, the two of them are cuddled on the couch watching a movie, sitting very similarly to how they were when Chorong asked if Eunji minded her sitting on her lap a couple of months ago. The movie they’re watching is some cheesy romance movie Chorong chose, and every time the lead couple does anything romantic, Eunji just sort of giggles and shyly hides her face in Chorong’s neck. This does absolutely nothing to calm Chorong. Instead, it makes her all shaky and tense because now she wishes Eunji would kiss her neck instead of just pressing her face against it.

Chorong wishes Eunji would do a lot of things lately. 

When the lead couple reconciles after their big fight with an overly dramatic kiss, Eunji asks, “Do you ever want that?”

“Want what? To think my boyfriend slept with my best friend when in reality they were just planning my engagement?” Chorong jokes, unimpressed with the movie.

“Well, that’s a relief,” Eunji laughs, head resting lightly on Chorong’s shoulder. “But no, I meant, do you ever want a love like that?”

“Not like that,” Chorong answer immediately. She scrunches her face as the movie ends with a montage of the couple getting married and having kids and living happily ever after. “I mean, do I want someone I love who I can spend the rest of my life with? Yes, but not their kind of love. It was stupid.”

Eunji laughs again, and Chorong feels it all over her body with how close they are. Eunji rests her head more firmly on Chorong’s shoulder and asks, “What kind of love would you want then?”

“I want a love like…” Chorong trails off for a moment, but then she smiles softly and continues, “I want a love where I’m completely comfortable with someone, someone I can come home to a long day. I want a love where we can celebrate the little things like finishing a stressful exam and a long weekend. I want a love where I can sit on their lap whenever I want, and they’ll never complain.” Chorong says this last part more pointedly, turning to look at Eunji.

Eunji backs away from where their noses almost touched, laughing awkwardly. Beneath Chorong, Eunji’s entire body has gone tense. Her hands move away from Chorong’s. “If I didn’t know any better,” Eunji says nervously, “I would say you’re talking about someone specific.”

“And if I am?” Chorong asks, shifting so she can face Eunji. 

Eunji stares at her, a mix of unreadable emotions on her face. Then she frowns a little and asks quietly, “What are you saying, Chorong?”

“I’m saying that I love you,” Chorong says simply, as if her heart isn’t threatening to beat out of her chest and her hands are trembling from where they’re bunched up in the throw blanket covering them. “I’m saying I realized I don’t want any other girl to sit on your lap or come over to watch bad movies with you or invite you to the beach or anything like that. I want it to just be me.”

Eunji watches her carefully as she raises a hand to cup Chrong’s face. She runs her thumb over Chorong’s cheek and asks, “Where is this coming from?”

It’s not a rejection, but it’s beginning to feel like one, and Chorong feels the panic begin to swell up in her. In a rush, Chorong says, “What do you mean? It’s coming from me. I just looked at your stupid face one day, and I wanted to kiss it, and it’s not fair because apparently I’ve been wanting to do it for a year without realizing it, even though Bomi and everyone else already knew. But here we are, I finally tell you, and you’re asking me where is this coming from? I should just–”

Chorong is cut off by a kiss. It’s soft and hesitant, and her eyes flutter shut for a moment. Then, Eunji is pulling away with a small smile and wary eyes.

“You really mean it, don’t you?” Eunji murmurs, her other hand reaching up so both hands are holding Chorong’s face.

Chorong glares at her. “Of course I mean it. What do you take me for? A liar.”

“No,” Eunji laughs, placating Chorong by kissing her once more. It’s another brief kiss, and Chorong kind of wishes they could skip the talking part and go straight to the kissing part now. “It’s just… The girls have been bothering me to tell you how I feel for months, and suddenly one day, you confess to me. It just took me by surprise is all.”

“How you feel about me?” Chorong prompts with a pleased grin.

Eunji rolls her eyes, even as she laughs. “Oh, I’m sure the girls already told you everything, but yes, I love you too, Chorong.” She smiles at her and kisses her again. She doesn’t let it get very far though before she pulls away to ask, “So, you’re the only girl who gets to sit on my lap now?”

“I better be,” Chorong says warningly as she presses kisses along Eunji’s jaw. Then she adds, “I also better be the only one who does this.” Chorong pulls Eunji into a deep kiss, one that makes Eunji moan and Chorong press her hard against the back of the couch. She buries her hands in Eunji’s hair and thinks that she’s an idiot for not doing this sooner. 

“That’s fine with me,” Eunji says in between kisses, maneuvering Chorong so she’s straddling one of her legs instead of awkwardly twisting around. Her hands run along Chorong’s legs, toying with the cotton shorts she’s wearing. “From now on, Park Chorong, you are the only girl who can kiss me senseless and sit in my lap. Although, most people just call it being someone’s girlfriend.”

“I’m fine with that title too,” Chorong smiles into another kiss. “I guess I’ll have to extend the same rights to you too? You can sit in my lap now too.”

“My gross, too big can sit in your delicate lap?” Eunji teases.

Chorong laughs and reaches down to grab said . “We both know your isn’t too big or gross.”

“I knew you had a thing for it!”

Chorong rolls her eyes and pulls her hand away. “Just shut up and kiss me.”

“Yes, ma’am.”