My friends are visiting my room to have dinner. Frankly, this room is good for two people, at most. Not four people, including myself. The space is definitely a bit cramped but we really have to finish our proposal assignment due at the end of the week. Well, I say “we”, but what I really mean is Yena and I. My other two friends, Hitomi and Nako, are already finished with their assignment since last week, opting to do it early and finish early. Yena and I should really learn from them and not procrastinate on it, especially since it is worth 50% of our grade for the course.

 

But well, that’s what college is all about, I guess. Survive on red bull and coffee and do everything last minute. It’s not like Yena and I are partying it up like most college kids. It’s just that we have other priorities and other classes to deal with. My parents are getting older and want me to take over the company soon but I’ve only been at college for 2 years. If I just waltz into the board meeting like I own the place (I don’t. Not yet at least), the investors would pop a vein. Nonetheless, I’ve been going back and forth during my free time from classes to shadow my dad to learn how to run the company.

 

So yes, this arrangement often leaves me exhausted and unwilling to do any school work. Yena has it pretty bad too considering she was roped into becoming the treasurer for the school thanks to one scary senior student and friend, Kwon Eunbi. She tried to recruit me too but thankfully, I was able to sacrifice Yena to save myself. Sometimes, I think Yena still holds a grudge for that.

 

“Minjoo, I swear to god, you better have at least 6000 words on that document or I’m going to rip your frog eyes out.” Yena grumbles, typing excessively (aggressively?). I glance down at my computer screen only to see one word typed out. I gulped nervously while Hitomi and Nako laugh silently at my predicament. I was about to kick them out of the room but then the door opens.

 

Kim Chaewon, with paint splats all over her clothes and face, makes a beeline for the bathroom without saying a word to anyone. After the door closes behind her, my friends let out a sigh of relief.

 

“Your roommate is...not very talkative?” Hitomi looks confused over her word choice as she says this. I shrug my shoulders, trying to focus on my report.

 

“She’s hot though.” Yena says absently. I grimace at that.

 

“Apparently, no one has ever heard her speak. Not even people in her major. Her work is amazing though.” Nako eyes glaze over slightly as she recalls experiencing the beauty of Chaewon’s art. I ignore Nako’s inner fangirling and Hitomi’s apparent confusion regarding Chaewon.

“Guys, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Chaewon does talk, just not a lot.” I try to dispel the false rumors but I can see the skepticism in their eyes. Hard to blame them considering Chaewon herself does nothing to dispel the rumors surrounding her.

 

But I knew better.

 

--

 

The first time I ever heard Kim Chaewon speak was probably one of the worst days of my life. I woke up late for accounting class, barely making it during the half-way mark. Then I had a pop quiz for that class that I completely bombed. To make matters worse, I accidentally bumped into some girl wearing round glasses in the hallway and caused her to drop the things she was holding.

 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” I quickly apologize and help her gather her things. Her paint tubes and brushes scattered all over the floor and people that were walking by didn't stop to help. I was annoyed about it but said nothing and just helped pick things up. Then a group of guys stop and pick up the other tubes still on the floor. They open a few tubes and smear it all over the owner’s clothes and hair.

 

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!” I reach out and angrily grab at the tubes to stop them from making a mess. The owner herself kept her head down and did nothing. What the heck?

 

“Hey Princess, it’s all good. We’re just playing around here, right Yuri?” One of the other guys says. He’s tall and buff and is drowned in the disgusting stench of cologne. Gross. And he called me princess. Ew.

 

My temper really wasn’t the best today since I woke up and now I am just getting more annoyed, “Get lost, idiots. Before I kick your asses.”

 

They laugh as if I was telling a bad joke. “C’mon, are you really ing defending this dyke? she won’t even like you back.” the leader of the group taunts.

 

I clench my fists. “Seriously? Are you living in the 4th century or something? Since when was being gay a crime? You es better leave now before I ing castrate you all. Morons.” just then, a professor arrives to see the commotion. The group of guys glare at me and this Yuri girl and leave before the professor could question them.

 

I sigh in relief. Turning around to give Yuri the rest of her art supplies, I was met with nothing but air. When did Yuri leave? Great. Now I’m stuck with explaining to the professor about what just happened.

 

Dinner time rolls around and I am just so exhausted. I open the door into my dorm room and flopped onto the bed like a dead fish. My friends were calling me to have dinner together but I ignored their calls.

 

Today was just a bad day. I went to work after describing the incident to the professor and really, I shouldn’t have. I was so unfocused all day long and got scolded by dad for making so many elementary mistakes. To top it off, one of the executives of the company humiliated me in front of the board members and my dad just let it happen.

 

“Do not show them that you are weak, Minjoo. If you do, they will tear into you like wild animals. Let today be a lesson to you, child. About how to keep yourself in line, especially if you want to inherit my company. I will not have a slacker run my hard work to the ground.” he had said. My dad is not a very affectionate man and he’s only become colder as I got older. Perhaps it is his way of molding me into the perfect heir. But after a long day like this, I wished he had given me a hug or protected me, like he used to when I was younger.

 

Tears slip through and I can do nothing to stop them. All of this pent up stress was eating at my sanity and it was nighttime AKA the time to cry when no one is around. My roommate doesn’t usually come back early so I knew it was okay to break down in the comfort of my room. I mean, I love school and I want to inherit the company but… sometimes, I wonder if I am fit for the job. Dad doesn’t seem to think so. Come to think of it, he never praised me even once since I started learning from him. Mom also doesn’t say anything except ask about how my grades are. (Terrible. Not I can tell my mom that. She’ll have my head.)

 

I continue to cry, not caring about the time or how tired I was. Suddenly, I hear a noise next to my bed. Removing my hands from my face, I see a bottle of strawberry milk placed on my night stand.

 

“Snot is dripping on your bed.” A voice says softly next to my ear. I let out a startled yelp and back up against the wall. Seeing my roommate, I realized that it was the first time I had ever heard her speak. Her voice was smooth and light, matches her face completely, I noted in the back of my mind.

 

She hands me some tissues to clean up my face and I belatedly realize how embarrassing I must look right now. Ugh, nothing is going right for me today.

 

“Thanks, Chaewon.” I must have been imagining things or was seeing through my tear-filled vision because Chaewon was giving me a look I couldn’t quite place my finger on. Whatever it was, it gave me butterflies in my stomach.

 

She gives me a non-committal hum and turns off the lights, laying down on the bed and turning the other way. Perhaps it was her way of giving me a little privacy and I was thankful for it.

 

( It was the first time I had ever heard Chaewon speak and unfortunately, it was in a very embarrassing situation for me. Nonetheless, my impression of Chaewon started to change since that day.)

--

 

The first time I had ever seen Chaewon smile was in the middle of the semester. I was waking up early to study for midterms when the doorbell rang. I knew I wasn’t expecting any visitors and Chaewon was still asleep on her bed.

 

Shrugging, I look through the peephole and is surprised to see Yuri. Once again, the girl was wearing round specs.

 

“Yuri? What are you doing here?” I open the door for her and greet her. She’s holding a basket of art supplies again, thankfully all in one place and no homophobic bullies to be seen. she shyly rubs the back of her neck, not looking at me in the eye.

 

“Minjoo, right? I’m here for-” she’s interrupted by a hand shooting past me to drag her inside. Chaewon, in all her sleepy glory and (cute) bedhead, tugs Yuri inside by the hand and proceeds to hug her like a koala on the bed. After finding a more comfortable position with Yuri next to her, Chaewon unconsciously lets out a sleepy smile, content with her new cuddle buddy.

 

I could feel my face heat up at the adorable look on her face. Yuri’s face is also red, albeit for a different reason.

 

“Cat! Please, you’re embarrassing me in front of your roommate! And wake up already, mom and mama are waiting for us!” she whines in her husky voice. I am so confused right now. What is even happening?

 

Chaewon shushes her, “Puppy, it’s nap-nap time~” she blushes even harder and decides to just shake her awake. They call each other Cat and Puppy? They are literally the cutest.

 

She pulls them both into an upright position and drags Chaewon by the arm to the restroom. Tossing her inside, she shuts the door and holds it from the outside.

 

“C’mon sis, mom and mama are waiting for us. They brought your favorite strawberry creme bread so you better hurry up before I decide to ditch you and eat it all myself.” At the threat, noises could be heard inside the restroom. I guess that worked.

 

Yuri turns around to face me with an exasperated look on her face, “Sorry you had to witness that. Chaewon can be difficult when she wants to be.”

 

I tell her that it was okay and not to worry about it. Come to think of it, Yuri and Chaewon look very similar to each other. I guess them being sisters made sense. But I ask anyways, “Is Chaewon your older sister?”

 

Yuri nods excitedly, “Yeah! We’re twins. Chaewon is older than me by 2 minutes.”

 

“Ah? So we’re the same age then? Let’s be friends!” I reach out to grab her hand with a smile on my face. She also looks happy but apprehensive at the same time.

 

“Y-you would want to be friends with me?” she stutters adorably. I was about to answer but the restroom door opens with a refreshed Chaewon stepping out of the threshold. She pats Yuri on the head as she passes by to grab a new set of clothes.

 

“Of course, Pup, who wouldn’t want to be friends with you? Cutie.” Chaewon pinches Yuri’s squishy cheek in her hand. Yuri squirms out of her grip and shoves her aside. Chaewon lets out a small laugh and I am once again amazed at the foreign sound. It was like bells chiming on a summer day. I wanted to keep hearing it.

 

But she snaps me out of it, “By the way, Minjoo, I never got to thank you.”

 

“F-for what?” I reply nervously, not expecting to be addressed by the black-haired girl. ( I’d also like to say that Chaewon really suits that color, but that’s a separate issue.)

 

“For helping Yuri when she was being bullied by those jerks.” Yuri snaps her head towards Chaewon, slightly embarrassed. She steps slightly behind her older twin and buries her face in her shoulder. Chaewon smiles (that’s three times!) with affection in her eyes and reaches back to rub Yuri on the head.

 

“...thank you Minjoo.” Yuri says, muffled by Chaewon’s hoodie against .

 

I find myself also smiling at the cute twins, “It’s no problem. Those douchebags shouldn't even be doing that in the first place. You don’t deserve to be treated like that just because of your ual orientation. Heck, I like girls too and no one gives me crap for it so they shouldn't give any to you either.”

 

The twins react in sync, with a surprised expression at the information. I laugh at that, seeing the funny expression on their faces really made them look alike.

 

Yuri’s phone rings moments later and she looks at me apologetically, explaining that her and Chaewon really had to go before they were late. I bid them farewell with the promise of hanging out with my newfound friend, Yuri.

 

--

 

The first time I ever met Chaewon’s parents was during the winter time. Yuri had invited me to see her singing showcase in the college auditorium. Many talent agencies were going to attend to scout for potential artists to recruit so I knew how nervous Yuri was. For the past few weeks, Yuri was practicing and practicing, only stopping when Chaewon or I told her to rest her voice. She was going to be fine. Her voice is beautifully husky, unlike her older twin’s lighter voice. Wonder how that happened.

 

I got my answer in the form of two eccentric parents. Both women were extremely beautiful, easily standing out among the crowd. One had gray-ish hair and big eyes and ears. The other had black hair and a mole on her nose. The black haired woman gave an aloof vibe while the other seemed to be lost.

 

Unexpectedly, the aloof woman was the one to run to her daughters and smother them in a tight hug, breaking my impression of her. Chaewon and Yuri whine a little bit but I can see that they actually enjoy being babied by their mother.

 

“My cuties, how have you been? Chae, you dyed your hair! Oh you look so cute. And Yul! You’ve lost some weight, are you eating right?” Their mother asks as she nuzzles their cheeks. The other mother puts a hand on her shoulder and pulls her back.

 

“Hyewon, let the kids breathe. They aren’t going anywhere.” the gray-haired woman says with a laugh.

 

“Sorry, Sakura. It’s just that we haven’t seen them since the year started and look at how pretty they’ve gotten! Any girlfriend you’re going to introduce to us yet?”

 

The twins let out an indignant mom! before receiving forehead kisses from their mama.

 

Yuri grabs my hand to drag me over to her parents. “Mom, mama, this is my new friend and Cat’s roommate, Kim Minjoo.” she introduces. I shyly meet their eyes and bow 90 degrees to them.

 

“Hello, I’m Kim Minjoo. It’s very nice to meet you.” I greet. Hyewon and Sakura introduce themselves back and break out into smiles.

 

“Thanks for taking care of the twins, I know they can be a handful.” I shyly rub the back of my head and say that it’s no problem at all. Chaewon looks amused and opens to say something but is interrupted by the announcer telling people to take their seats for the show.

 

The family cheer on the youngest in their family and she scurries off to get backstage. The remaining four of us take our seats, with Chaewon next to me. She glances over to me and asks me if her parents made me feel uncomfortable. If anything, it’s quite the opposite. I’m jealous that she has such loving parents and a wonderful sister. So I tell her just that.

 

Chaewon just gives me a small smile and lightly pats the top of my head.

 

The contact was so small and brief that I thought I imagined it. Nonetheless, it sends my heart into overdrive.

 

--

 

Chaewon was walking around the dorm hall, looking as aloof as ever. Some girls and guys are sitting in the common area but get up to leave once they spot Chaewon in the vicinity. She appeared to be looking for something, worry hidden in her expression.

 

“Chaewon? Did you lose something? Need any help?” she turns her body to face me, relief evident in her face.

 

“Minjoo. Yeah, sorry to bother but I can’t find my dog.” Chaewon runs her hands through her hair and I’m trying really hard not to swoon at the impromptu shampoo commercial. It would be socially inappropriate given our acquaintance status.

 

“Well, what does he or she look like?” I ask, pulling at her arms gently so that she would stop pulling on her hair. Thankfully, she is okay with the contact and doesn’t pull away.

 

“He’s a brown shiba inu. Kind of short, not too chubby. His name is Mr. Grumpy.”

 

“Why Mr. Grumpy?” I was worried that he might be a mean dog that would bite me if I got too close.

 

“Cause his face is always grumpy.” Oh. Well, that’s...reassuring. Sort of.

 

“Okay....” I say, dragging out the ‘a’. We set out to find him in the dorm halls as she said he ran off in this direction before she lost sight of him. An hour of searching yielded no results so we step outside and sit on a bench for a break. Chaewon hands me a cold water bottle with an apologetic expression on her face.

 

“Sorry for wasting your time.” She frowns with a small pout. I find myself smiling at the cute expression despite not being able to find her dog.

 

“It’ll be okay. If we can’t find him by the end of today, let’s put out posters and try searching again tomorrow.” I rub her back, hoping to reassure her despite knowing that I should be studying for my test in 3 days. But my priorities lie elsewhere.

 

I stand up to stretch my sore limbs. Spinning on my heels to face her, I invite her out to have dinner with me since it was getting late. It seems that I’m getting braver by the day. She was about to respond when a shadow from the trees jumps out towards me, knocking me over.

 

Something wet and slimy was attacking my face while my body was feeling pressure from something sitting on me. A loud and excited bark broke me out of my daze. Now that my vision was clearing up, I could see the most adorable brown shiba inu wagging its tail and my face (ew).

 

“Mr. Grumpy! Where have you been?! And stop attacking Minjoo.” Chaewon pulls the overexcited dog off of me. She hands me a napkin, apologizing profusely all the while. I wipe my face of dog saliva and listen to Chaewon scolding her dog. He doesn’t seem to care as he tries to leap on her as if to give her a hug. She holds him at arms length, giving him a (cute) stern look.

 

Still, his tail is wagging playful and his tongue is sticking out of his mouth. “Why is he named Mr. Grumpy if he’s literally not grumpy at all?” I blurted, not thinking about my words. Both owner and dog turn their heads at me and I burst into laughter. Chaewon has a scowl on her face while Mr. Grumpy has the exact opposite expression. His tongue was lolling out of his mouth while he wore the happiest grin in existence. But both were still cute.

 

Chaewon relaxes and lets go of her dog, allowing him to place his front paws on her shoulder to give her a hug. “Sorry about him jumping you. He tends to like pretty girls.” I blush at the thought that Chaewon thinks I’m pretty.

 

“It’s alright. And his name?” I grab onto the outstretched hand and pull myself to get up.

 

“It’s stupid...” she grumbles. I urge her to tell me anyways. “It’s just, his dumb happy face and excited self was too annoying for me. But Yuri wanted him so we settled for naming him Mr. Grumpy in hopes that he would be less annoying. As you can see, it didn't work. In fact, I think he’s more annoying than ever.” As if he understood human language, Mr.Grumpy starts running around in circles around me.

 

“Alright, lover boy. Let’s get you home.” Chaewon grumbles while grabbing onto his leash. Chaewon makes a motion for me to follow her. I wonder where we are going since I have never seen her dog in our dorm before. Plus pets are not allowed. Maybe Yuri’s home?

 

We walk off campus and towards the fancy apartments across the street. I’ve never been inside this place before, knowing that all of them were rented out before I could get one for myself.

 

Chaewon leads us to the elevator and punches in the penthouse floor. To my surprise, when she opens the door, the apartment has no walls, except for the bathroom. Art supplies and canvases are laid out haphazardly along the walls and the center of the room. In the corner is the kitchen with a bowl and water dispenser on the floor for Mr. Grumpy. In the farthest end, a king sized bed sits there. The bed was unmade, clearly being used on a daily basis.

 

“Is this where you are when you aren’t in the dorm?”

 

“Yup. It’s my private space for inspiration. I didn’t want to have all of this stuff in the dorm. It would inconvenience my roommate.” Chaewon says as she unhooks the leash from Mr.Grumpy’s neck. He runs to his food bowl to eat his dinner.

 

“But then why even stay in the dorms at all? This space is huge!” Upon closer inspection, I am in awe at the masterpieces she painted. Now, I’m no expert in art but I swear each of these paintings looked like they belonged in a museum.

 

“My parents didn't want me to miss out on campus life. So I only stay here on days where I work through the night. Yuri drops by sometimes too, when she needs space.” Speaking of Yuri, the door beeps open to reveal the said girl.

 

She looks confused to see the two of us here but that quickly vanishes when she sees that Mr.Grumpy was here.

 

“Grumps! Come here boy!” Yuri coddles the dog to her chest, rubbing his fur lovingly. “Hi Cat, Minjoo. I see you found Mr.Grumpy.”

 

“Yeah, he came out of his hiding place after seeing a pretty girl.” Chaewon s her thumb behind her to point at me. I really can’t help but blush again. Yuri barks out a laugh after hearing that.

 

“Classic.”

 

Chaewon makes a move to go to the kitchen. “Hey, Minjoo, would you mind having dinner here today since we’re all gathered right now?” I nod eagerly, wanting to taste Chaewon’s home-cooked meals for myself. Yuri couldn’t stop raving about it when we went out to some terrible cafe for a quick bite last week.

 

“You’re free to look around. Just don't mess with that one.” Chaewon gestures to the biggest canvas in the middle of the room, covered with a white sheet. Yuri excitedly grabs my hand and leads me over to where a recording microphone sits.

 

“I’ll sing you a song I’m working on right now, Minjoo!” Yuri’s soulful voice fills the air. I've never seen Yuri so serious and so full of...heart-break. It made me wonder how Yuri became so good at singing in this way. From experience? I hope not. Yuri deserves to have the good things in life.

 

--

 

The first time I ever sought out Chaewon was during a late night food craving. I was alone in the dorm as Chaewon was in her studio apartment, working on her latest painting. I was getting ready for bed, putting on my hoodie and leggings when my stomach decided to growl. Dinner was a pitiful thing, only a single cup of ramen with no egg. Then I started thinking about the fried rice that Chaewon made the other day in her apartment. I could feel my saliva building up.

 

Chaewon would still be at her apartment right? She texted me saying that she wouldn’t be back for the whole night. Ever since I helped her find Mr. Grumpy, we’ve gotten closer to the point of texting each other everyday.

 

Hey, still awake?

Yeah. Why?

Craving for your fried rice master chef

Come over. I’ll make it for you

You’re the best. Omw

 

Well, that settles that. I grab my bag and keys and lock the door behind me. When I entered her unlocked apartment, she was already in front of the stove, cooking her delicious fried rice. Mr. Grumpy was asleep on his bed but woke up when he heard me approaching.

 

“Hey boy, go back to sleep. It’s late.” He refuses and gets up to lay down on my lap. I sit there, petting his soft fur, wondering how well Chaewon must’ve groomed him for his fur to be so high quality. Chaewon comes over and nudges my shoulder, gesturing at the plate of fried rice sitting on the coffee table. Mr. Grumpy makes a whiny noise when Chaewon frees me from his weight.

 

As soon as I sit in front of the steaming plate of deliciousness, Mr.Grumpy settles on my lap again. I just let him be and tell Chaewon that it’s okay.

 

“Thanks for the food.” I whisper. She smiles and nods her head, going back to painting. I finish the entire plate in 15 minutes and go to the sink to wash the dishes. Once again, Mr. Grumpy wakes up to follow me around. He’s clearly tired but still wants to follow me around. I guess Chaewon was right, he really does like me. The thought makes me happy since he’s such a cute dog.

 

“I’ll put him to sleep and then leave, okay?” I tell Chaewon. She nods without stopping what she’s doing. Her face is contorted in concentration, applying colors and details that enhance the overall artwork. She really was talented and I find myself falling deeper everyday.

 

I coax Mr.Grumpy to lie down on his bed. I lay myself sideways with an arm acting as a pillow for my head, my other arm petting the top of his head softly. Soon enough, he is finally asleep. Watching him fall asleep made me sleepy too. Plus all of that food in my stomach. I’m sure Chaewon wouldn’t mind if I close my eyes for 5 minutes….

 

I feel someone shaking my shoulder and whispering my name. The room is dark now, all the lights are turned off and the curtains are shut.

 

“Minjoo-yah.” The voice calls softly. I look into pretty brown eyes and realize that I’m in Chaewon’s apartment.

 

“Come on Minjoo. It’s 3 AM and the floor is cold. You can stay here for the night but come sleep on the bed.” And maybe it’s because I’m tired and delirious from lack of sleep but I extend my arms in a grabbing motion. Chaewon just chuckles and lifts me into her arms. Unsurprisingly, her body is warm and soft and smells like strawberries. She settles me into bed and tries to tuck me in but I keep my arms around her neck.

 

“Sleep.” I mumble. It was too dark to tell but I could have sworn that the look in Chaewon’s eyes was something soft altogether. She gives in and settles next to me. And I reach over to tuck myself in between her shoulder and neck. The embarrassment will probably come bite me in the morning but right now, I’m too tired to care.

 

“Good night, Minjoo.”

 

“Night, Chae.”

--