"Jinsoul... I like you." 

   
     "Jinsoul...? Jinsoul??" 

 

   "Jinsoul! Jung Jinsoul!!" 

 

 

 

   "JUNG JINSOUL I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T-" 

 

   The blonde jolted awake, frantically looking around. She relaxed (but still groaned in annoyance) once her eyes met her sister's, who looked both annoyed and amused.

 

   "You have ten minutes to get ready. Oh and if you use my precious perfume again you're dead." 
  

   And with that, Chaeyeon left the room, and her frightened sister. 

 

   Jinsoul ignored her words and picked her phone up from the floor, right under her bed. (Jinsoul did own a nightstand but did she use it for its intended use? No. In her logic, socks and random stuff she doesn't even use deserved to stay up there, while her phone and stuff she actually needed laid on the wooden floor.)
 
 
  7:36AM

 

   Jinsoul screamed, jumping out of bed. (This time, she actually remembered to bring the small, long forgotten notebook she had placed somewhere in her desk to give it back to its owner but seemed to forget every time.)
   
   

 

 

 

*

  Sooyoung, who was walking peacefully, earbuds in, head bobbing as she listened to her favorite playlist, was pulled out of her little world as a flash of blonde hair ran straight past her almost knocking her off her her feet.

 

   "Hey! DON'T. RUIN. MY. VIBE!" The dark haired girl yelled, ready to run after whoever that was and give them a piece of her mind but when the other girl froze, turning around slowly, she burst in laughter. "Jinsoul? You're late?"

 

   Jinsoul rolled her eyes, making her way back to where her friend was. "I overslept!"

 

   "Woah calm down," Sooyoung wrapped an arm around the blonde's shoulder, ruffling her hair. "How did your date go? Please tell me you didn't faint."

 

   "It was not a date, Sooyoung. And she probably hates me..." Jinsoul trailed off.

 

   Sooyoung knew her best friend was a big softie so her heart broke every time something, no matter how small, hurt the blonde. Whenever something like this happened, the taller girl would step up and make whatever (whoever) hurt her friend have a taste of their own medicine but not this time. Because she also knew that Jungeun was Jinsoul's first ever crush. The blonde being an eye candy, add her goofy and charming personality, she had many people chasing her already but she was just too oblivious to recognize their attempts at flirting with her. It had its ups and downs as Sooyoung didn't want her friend to be lonely, but she also didn't want her to be with the wrong person.

 

    From what Sooyoung had managed to gather, from Jiwoo and from her own observations, Jungeun was a good pick. Except for the fact that she couldn't stand the blonde just because of a wrong image she had of her (Sooyoung understood where she was coming from, but she still thought it was stupid. And for this one reason was ready to throw hands but was restraining herself for Jinsoul's sake).

 

     "Why don't you just try wipe off whatever image she has of you?" she offered.

 

   Jinsoul looked up, letting the words sink in. "But i can't to change myself for-"

 

   Sooyoung's eyes widened. "No! No no, that's not what I meant! You don't have to change yourself to please someone else!" She took a deep breath. "What I meant is, show her the real you, Soullie." 

 

   Jinsoul let the words sink in. Maybe her best friend was right. Jungeun had only known her from the surface, and probably thought of her as some careless idiot. It didn't help that she turned out extremely late for their first meeting either. Maybe if she showed her who she really was, and tried to get to know her, Jungeun would open up more.

 

    Maybe.

 

 

   Too lost in her Jungeun filled thoughts once again, Jinsoul didn't even notice when they entered the school grounds and were already a few steps away from their first class of the day, and she certainly didn't notice her weakly tied shoelace opening until she stepped on it and was swept off her feet in one swift motion.
 
   Sooyoung looked at her friend laying on the ground, clicking her tongue and going in class anyway. 
 
  "!" Jinsoul hissed, dusting herself and making sure both laces were tightly tied so she doesn't fall anymore because her really needs a break.

   
 

    

*

    

    Headaches. 

 

    It's not like Jungeun has never experienced one, but today's pain was exceptional. She wanted to go home already and first period hasn't even started. The brunette wasn't sure where it came from exactly, she could blame her lack of sleep, the birds chirping loudly when she was about to fall asleep, her mom's nagging in the early morning. She could also blame Jiwoo for loudly (very loud) fangirling over their teacher who had just walked in, to Sooyoung who was trailing behind, solo. Jungeun's focus shifted towards the door for a second but the pounding in her head interrupted whatever thoughts she was about to have. Just as she was about to bury her head in her folded arms once again, the door burst open.

 

   Jinsoul stood by the door nervously fiddling with her fingers, waiting for Ms. Oh so to allow her in after being almost 10 minutes late now. 

   

   Ever since their first meeting, Jungeun  started noticing so many little things about her. Like how she was a slow talker and how she she gets flustered when she catches Jungeun carefully eyeing her, listening patiently. Or how blue seemed to be her favorite color as most of her possessions where of that color. Or her passion about fish, as most of her stationary, phone case, sweaters had a small fish somewhere. Or the small scar between her eyebrows that she seemed to be trying hard to cover it but even so it was still apparent if one observes closely (Jungeun didn't understand why she was even trying to cover it in the first place but she would never ask.)
  
   
   

    The brunette let her eyes wander, taking in the blonde's simple but quite appealing presence. She didn't get it. How did she manage to look like that so effortlessly? She was wearing a normal uniform, just like any other student that goes to their school. But why did it look so good on her? Her shimmery blonde locks cascaded beautifully on her shoulders. There were many blondies there, but why did it look exceptionally good on her like it was her thing? 
    
   Jungeun's eyes trailed back up, landing on the warm brown eyes that were now wide as they stared right back at her own. The brunette brought her head back down quickly, silently groaning in embarrassment (and pain as the action just added up to it). She was just caught shamelessly checking her out and she probably looked like a creep.

   Jungeun didn't notice the blush that covered Jinsoul's cheeks at her intense gaze.

 

   Jungeun also didn't notice the blonde snapping out of it to send a small wave her way.

 

 

 

 *

      
     Lunch dragged by very slow, the chaos inside the cafeteria not doing Jungeun any good. She drank lots of water, a couple headache relief pills and her pain had died down a bit, but it was still there. Thanks to Jiwoo's loud voice, it was probably going to linger for a but longer than she thought it would.

     
    One other reason (that Jungeun would never admit) being the random screeches and yelps coming from the table beside the one she was sharing with Jiwoo and her other two friends, Chaewon and Yerim
  
    Jungeun huffed in annoyance as she watched a tall, (drop dead) gorgeous black haired girl sitting beside Jinsoul, with her long, milky legs resting on her lap. The girl was 'feeding' the blonde, taking the spoon in after pretending to be about to feed the girl who had open in anticipation, only to (adorably) pout afterwards. Right in front of them sat the girl Jungeun now recognized as Ha Sooyoung, taking snap shots of the two girls while laughing along with the girl beside her whom Jungeun didn't really recognize but she looked like a foreigner.

 

   It wasn't even funny.

 

   It was rather disturbing. This was a cafeteria were they were supposed to eat in peace yet there they were being all affectionate and loud. 

     

 

    That's what she kept using as an excuse to a strange feeling she had never quite experienced before. 

 

      (There were couples literally making out, Jiwoo being even, a cat fight somewhere between two meanies.)

 

   "Oh my god can't they just shut up already," she groaned, fully focusing on her food.

 

   Jiwoo and the rest of the girls shared knowing looks but chose to ignore their friend who was still clueless of her own feelings.

 

   Buzz.

 

   Jungeun fished her phone out of her pocket, curious as to who would be texting her.

 

Jung Jinsoul: can you meet me before PE? 

 

    Right. Jungeun had given her number to the blonde a couple days ago, having only texted to inform her of the location of their second study session. (Time was not an option, as it was chosen by Ms. Oh. Much to Jungeun's dismay.)

 

    Jungeun was curious as to why the girl wanted to see her but as she looked up and saw the other girl's arm fully wrapped around the blonde, she suddenly remembered that she had to hit the library really quick before she had to head to the physical education class. And so she sent a quick reply before throwing her phone back in her pocket, standing up abruptly and leaving as her throbbing head demanded a quieter atmosphere.

 

Jungeun: busy. 

   

 

*

 

   "You guys are doing great so far, but you're still lacking in catch so we're going to practice that today!" 

 

   And so they started warming up, waiting for their PE teacher Ms. Jang, to announce the start of whatever they were doing.

   (She had already ordered them to split in two teams and choose partners. Of course Jinsoul just had to be in Jungeun's team, but not her partner. Jiwoo would never allow that).

   Ms. Jang who was too distracted by a certain english teacher who just happened to be passing by.
   

   "Same, Ms. Jang, same." Jiwoo who seemed to appear out of nowhere said, causing the teacher to yelp in surprise. Jungeun, Sooyoung  and Jinsoul stifled laughs as the older woman's face turned red.

 
  "W-wha- Kim Jiwoo! Fifty push ups for sneaking up on me instead of doing your work!"

 

   "Isn't that a bit harsh, Seungyeon-ssi?" A soft, mature voice sounded right behind the long haired woman who had her hair in a well done bun. Ms. Jang jumped once again, almost screaming in the other woman's face, who laughed straight in her face.

 

    "Well what do you know about sports, anyway?" Ms. Jang rolled her eyes. 

 

    Their english teacher crossed her arms in defense. "What do you know about sports?"

 

    "I'm a sports teacher, Seunghee."

 

    "Whatever. Kim Jiwoo is not doing anything and that's final."

 

   Jungeun, once again, barely managed to block out Jiwoo's happy squeal.

  And just like that, their teachers continued bickering for a while. Jungeun swore she could see Ms. Oh smiling softly but still retorting (and Ms. Jang's blush).

 

 

*

    
     They were in the middle of training, with Jiwoo gently throwing the ball and Jungeun trying her best to focus on catching it despite her throbbing head.

 

   It was all going well, almost too well, the draining day slowly coming to an end, but the day itself seemed to have other plans.

 

   Jungeun took notice of her partner getting distracted. She let her own mind (and eyes) wander off until they, once again, landed on a certain blonde. Shiny blonde hair pulled up in a neat ponytail flowing as the tall girl jumped around, catching the ball with minimum efforts. Sweat dripping from her flawless forehead down to her sharp jaw, down to her long, delicate neck-

 

    Too deep in thought, mouth hanging open, the brunette didn't notice a ball flying her way until she felt the sharp numbing pain as it slammed on her shoulder, stumbling back and completely losing balance. She waited for her to high five the harsh ground, but the pain never came. Instead, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her, supporting her as back collided with her savior's front. 

 

    Jungeun heard snickers coming from the other side of their practicing space. Of course, her ex would decide to bully her again on this day. This day was just perfect.

 

   "Are you okay?" asked the soft voice, coated with worry and concern, her warm breath hitting her ears sending shivers down her spice for some stupid reason. 

 

    Meeting her warm brown eyes for the nth time now, her breath hitched at their close proximity. Her heartbeat matched the throbbing pain on her head, and she was slowly losing focus. They were too close, one more centimeter forward and-

 

    Jungeun shook her head. Jinsoul, confused at first but finally realizing the situation they were in, released her grip. 

 

   "Right... Uh... Sorry." She scratched the back of her neck, heat rushing to her face and ears.

 

   "Jungie!" In a flash, Jiwoo jumped on the brunette, hands wandering from her face to her arms, making sure to send a grateful smiled in Jinsoul's way, who looked away shyly. "Are you okay?! Did you get hurt?! Did that -"

 

   "I'm fine, Jiwoo." Jungeun reassured. 

 

    Both girls turned to the silver haired boy, who smirked at the brunette. That smirk, however, didn't last long, as a ball landed flat on his face. He cried in pain, clenching his jaw as he looked at the source of his pain.

 

    The black haired girl from earlier skillfully picked the ball up only using her feet. "My bad. Didn't see you there." She smiled innocently, flipping her hair as she jogged back to where the stunned girls stood and throwing an arm over Jinsoul (much to Jungeun's dismay). The boy looked like he wanted to rip his hairs off but couldn't really say anything to her. The mysterious girl tilted her head slightly, looking at Jungeun. "You okay there?" She asked, eyebrows furrowed in worry.

 

   Jungeun, too stunned to talk, could only nod in response, earning a bright grin from the other girl.

 

   Now that Jungeun took a closer look, the girl was indeed beautiful. She also noticed that she had some similar features to the blonde, but she didn't pay much attention to it and instead tuned in to Ms. Jang who had disappeared for some reason only to come back now, totally clueless of what had just happened.
  

 

 

*

 

 
     The brunette sat on one of the benches in the dressing room, having changed from her sweaty gym clothing to her uniform after freshening up, sipping her much needed caffeine boost. 

 

    "Oh my god did you see how cool and hot Jinsoul looked? Don't even get started on Chaeyeon ughhh" Jiwoo, who was struggling to wear her shoes properly, fangirled. "The Jungs are truly something else."

   "They share the same surname?" 

   "Well duh," the red haired girl stated as if it was the most obvious thing ever (it was, but Jungeun didn't know that yet), rolling her eyes. She jumped up after tying her shoelace. "And the way one saved your and the other avenged you?! The Jung siblings are just perfect!"

 

   Jungeun spit her coffee.

  

 

 

   Siblings?!

 

 

 

*

 

     Bad was one word to describe how Jungeun felt about the way she was treating the blonde, as she slowly made her way to her locker, Jiwoo's words playing on loop in her head, adding up to her pain.

 

   It made sense now that she thought about it. 

   The similar looks.

 

   The endless teasing and goofing around but still having gotten each other's backs (yes, Jungeun had witnessed both girls saving each other amd standing up for each othet multiple times now.)

 

    After spending time with the blonde (even if it was just for studying and nothing else), Jungeun learnt that she was the total opposite of what she appeared to be like. And she found herself feeling guiltier as the sessions dragged by, because she had judged a book by the cover. Even if the book was jet black from the outside, it was still bright and innocent from the inside, with cute bunny stickers (fish, in jinsoul's case) everywhere. 

 

    Jungeun was absentmindedly flipping through her textbooks, totally forgetting what she was there for in the first place. She accidentally pushed a random book while reaching for the end of the locker space in an attempt of searching for her lost personal notebook. She tried to grab it before it slammed on the ground but her reflexes were not that good. 

 

   She groaned, leaning down to pick it up and groaning once more as the pounding on her head worsened. Just as she reached for it, another hand brushed with hers as they beat her to it. She looked up, meeting the warm brown eyes she had been neglecting this whole time. The warm brown eyes she found herself continuously getting lost in. The owner smiled softly at her and she just had no choice but smile back shyly and take the book from her hands.

 

   "Heading home?" Jinsoul broke the silence.

 

   Jungeun nodded.

 

   "Let's walk out together?" The blonde offered, but it came off as a question (blame her nervous ).

 

   The brunette tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, smiling shyly. "Okay..." 

 

    Seriously what was wrong with her? When did she become so nervous around people? When did become so shy around Jinsoul? Where did her attitude go? 

   

    
   The entire walk was awkwardly silent at first, with both girl searching desperately for anything to say, but slowly turned into a comfortable as they just let go and opted on enjoying each other's presence peacefully instead. (Jinsoul only tripped twice, truly a new record). Everything about it was simply perfect, the worst part about it being that it came to an end as they neared the corner where they had to take different paths.

 

   Jungeun looked up, searching the blonde's eyes for any signs of discomfort or maybe hurt but there were none, there was this look she always held, pure innocence, admiration even (which she doubted because she had been nothing but a jerk to her). She wanted to sincerely apologize, to promise change, to ease her guilt. 

 

    She didn't. 

 

    All she managed to mutter out was a small "Thank you, Jinsoul." It wasn't much but it was still very sincere.

 

   "It's okay..." Jinsoul scratched her neck shyly. 

 

   Jungeun sighed. Did she really think she was a bad girl? Now that she thought about it, it really didn't make any sense.

 

   "Alright, see you tomorrow." She waved, smiling warmly for what might've been the first time ever and Jinsoul's stomach was doing backflips, the deep red shade on her cheeks very evident.
  

   The brunette shook her head in amusement and walked away.

    

 

   Wait.

 

   The notebook.

 

 

   
   "Wait!"  Before she knew it, the blonde's hand had softly gripped her wrist, preventing her from walking any further.  

 

    She ignored the way her skin heated up and the small contact.

  
   Jinsoul released her hand, rummaging through her bag and finally pulling the long lost notebook out, handing it to the brunette who's eyes went wide as she had been searching for it for a week now. 

 

   "How...?" 

 

   "Well remember our first session? You dropped it while... Uh... Rushing out?" Jinsoul smiled sheepishly. "I ran after you but you were already gone!"

 

   Jungeun could only mutter out a faint "oh".

 

 

 

 

   She felt guiltier.

 

 

 

 

 

A/N: oh seunghee is a legend istg-

Also happy belated birthday Yves! <3