Chaewon runs her hands over the wrinkle-free comforter on the twin bed before sitting on it, giving a little bounce as she grins. Her eyes glimmer around the room she'd been natural to for a considerable length of time and she can't help the little chuckle that got away.

 

She’s bored again and is now thinking of college. In her last year of high school, she just can’t help the thoughts of being in a university soon, sharing a dorm with someone who isn’t her best friend, Minjoo, but whoever it will be is undoubtedly bound to be better than her sister. She’s tired of being their guinea pig, being the one they go to when they want to test new makeup or need a scapegoat because the youngest ones in the family must always listen and are supposed to protect their eldest. Chaewon is certain that it's the a different way.

 

She lets out a full breath, floundering back on her bed.

 

It’s still a little surreal.

 

College.

 

It’s one of those thing people talk about all the time, but it had always seemed like a far off dream to Chaewon, even only a few days ago. Now the acceptance/rejection letters are inside of the school’s mailbox, waiting to be delivered to the students.

 

 

Chaewon finds her very own envelope after breakfast.

 

 

It's thicker than she'd expected, and stuck into her post tray like it isn't the most significant letter of her life.

 

She chomps her lip to keep from smiling, and embraces it to her chest, because fat letters mean only one thing: acceptance. Nobody wants the thin letters; it doesn't take much paper to say, sorry, you weren't successful in your application to the university of your choice.

She looks up. Her friends are halfway down the corridor, heading back to their dormitory, but she wants to read this by herself. She doesn't follow them, and heads instead for the upper sixth common room, which she knows will be quiet – if not empty - at this time on a Saturday morning.

She's right; nobody is around this area. She switches the lights on and curls up on the battered old couch in the corner by the radiator, and pulls her knees up to her chin. As it's the weekend, she's still in her pajamas, her soccer hoodie tugged on over the top, and she pulls the blanket off the back of the sofa and over her knees. It's not cold, exactly, although the weather outside is pretty frightful, but she likes being wrapped up warm when it's raining and horrible outside. The toes of her fluffy tiger slippers peek out from under the blanket, and she shifts a little so that the cute cat ears are visible. Yena had bought them all a pair for Christmas the previous year, and Chaewon’s kind of in love with hers.

She opens the envelope and starts to read:

Greetings Kim Chaewon, it says, We are pleased to offer you a spot to study Political Science and International Studies at Yonsei University, commencing March–

Chaewon bites her lip, and laughs out loud.

 

 

 

 

—

 

 

 

 

She's disturbed by Minjoo, of all people. They don't usually see much of Minjoo on Saturday mornings, because she tends to sneak back to bed after breakfast, but she seems pretty awake today. She pushes Chaewon’s feet out of the way and sits down next to her.

“Hey,” Minjoo says, her face curving into a smile. Her eyes are bright. “I figured I'd find you here.”

Minjoo is gripping an envelope that looks kind of equivalent to Chaewon's.

 

“What's that?” Chaewon asks, curiously.

 

Minjoo bites her lip, and turns the envelope around, so that Chaewon can see the logo, and Minjoo’s name on the front.

“Yonsei,” Chaewon says, almost inaudible. “It's an acceptance letter for Yonsei.”

“Yeah,” Minjoo says, and she smiles. “I got in.”

“But you didn't apply there,” Chaewon says, stupidly. Suddenly the room feels a lot smaller, and Chaewon can't stop looking at the Yonsei University logo in the edge of Minjoo’s envelope. “I applied there. You applied to Seoul National University. Chaeyeon–”

“Korea Uni, Yonsei, Sejong Uni, Sungkyunkwan Uni and Ewha,” Minjoo says, and she swallows. “That's where I applied. I didn't apply to SNU, Chae.”

“But Chaeyeon–” Chaewon says once more.  “Chaeyeon’s at SNU.”

 

“We broke up, remember?” Minjoo says.

 

“Yes,” Chaewon nods. “You broke up few months ago. Because she was in SNU and you were here. But you're going to be in SNU, too. That was the plan. We made that plan. That was the plan."

 

“Plans change,” Minjoo says, softly, and she tucks her hair behind her ear.

 

 

She's so pretty, Chaewon thinks, and then, it's so stupid, being in love with your best friend. “Look, I don't think it's raining, for like, the first time in forever. You want to head outside or something?”

“We've missed the bus into town,” Chaewon says, checking her watch. She sits up, anyway, and folds the blanket back over the arm of the sofa. She needs to get out of her pajamas.

“I know.” Minjoo smiles again. “Come on, let's get dressed and go hang out in the woods, or whatever. The others have all gone for the bus.”

“You're so weird,” Chaewon says, gathering together her acceptance papers and standing up. “You know that, right? You're completely weird?”

“I know,” Minjoo says, and she stands up and slips her hand into the crook of Chaewon’s elbow.

“But don't you ever think, I don't know. That you're going to miss this place? Everything. Like the last time.” She shrugs her shoulders. “Yujin sent me a picture of her newly found freshman friend, Wonyoung. She was down by the school’s backyard. I want to go get some fresh air and see the plants.”

Chaewon nods. “Yeah,” she says, because Minjoo very rarely talks about getting some “fresh air”. Chaewon knows that Minjoo has been stressed over a lot of things lately. As far as she knows, Minjoo also really liked Chaeyeon. Chaewon can't envision the heartbreak and misfortune Minjoo has experienced. “It could be muddy, though.”

Minjoo smiles again. “Excellent,” she says. “Come on.”

 

 

 

 

—

 

 

 

 

They wrap up in scarves and wellies and jeans and big jumpers and thick coats. Chaewon thinks that it looks like it might rain later on, but Minjoo’s excitement is infectious and irresistible Chaewon just can't help it when she grins back, pulling on her hat and her gloves and laughing as she sneaks down the back staircase and out into the grounds after Minjoo. They wave at Ms. Kwon as they duck out under the archway, and she shakes her head at them as they go.

“This is awesome,” Minjoo says, after they've climbed over the stile and into the woods. It's been raining on and off for a week so the path is muddy and a little slippery; Chaewon treads carefully and smiles at Minjoo as she laughs. “I got into Yonsei,” Minjoo says. “My mom is going to be blown away.”

“Have you told her yet?”

“It's the middle of the night for her,” Minjoo says. “I'll call her sometime later.” She slips, and bumps into a tree. “Ow.”

“You alright?” Chaewon asks, one hand in the small of Minjoo’s back.

 

She wonders if she's been in love with Minjoo from the very first moment she saw her, and thinks she probably has been.

 

“I'm wonderful,” Minjoo says, grinning. “Nothing can be bad today. I got into Yonsei University.” She pronounces it in english a little wrong, sounding out the b, l, and sh so it's long and Korean. Chaewon wants to correct her, but there's something about the way Minjoo speaks that Chaewon loves, and she doesn't want that to change.

“What's your first choice?” Chaewon asks. This is what any of the senior students have been talking about for weeks, Chaewon realizes, universities and entrance requirements and CSAT and mock exams.

Chaewon knows everything about Yena and Hyewon and Yuri’s options and choices, and how Yena wants to go to Sejong University more than anything in the world, and how Yuri’s Ehwa Woman’s University interview was the worst moment of her life. But Minjoo’s kept quiet, Chaewon realizes, and she hadn't noticed. She wonders why. She's so used to noticing everything about Minjoo that her having kept a secret from her is, well, kind of strange.

Minjoo looks back at her, and stops. “It's Yonsei,” she says, slowly. “Yonsei is my first choice.”

Chaewon’s heart is beating loud in her chest. The way Minjoo is looking at her – Chaewon doesn't want to read anything in to it. “Why didn't you tell me?” Chaewon says, after a moment. She wonders if her voice sounds weird.

Minjoo shrugs. “Because,” she says. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”

Chaewon swallows. “It is. It's great, Min.”

“Yeah,” Minjoo says. “It is, right? You think we can still share a dorm room?”

“I don't think it works like that,” Chaewon says. “I think you just get, I’m not really sure. Randomly matched up, or something.”

“Yeah,” Minjoo says, decisively. “I'll get my dad to call them.”

Chaewon grins, and slides her hand into the crook of Minjoo’s elbow. “We're going to college,” she says, softly, because this is the best thing she could have imagined. “Me and you.”

“Chaewon and Minjoo," Minjoo says, grinning and pressing closer. “Yonsei kids you all better watch out.”

“Yeah,” Chaewon says, and her gaze drops to Minjoo's mouth, her pink lips, the tip of her tongue. When she looks up, Minjoo’s watching her, and Chaewon flushes a little and pulls away, heading down the path towards the dormitory. “Come on,” she says, “I think it's going to rain again.”

“No way,” Minjoo says, after a moment. She hurries to catch Chaewon up, and giggles.

 

 

 

 

—

 

 

 

 

It rains.

 

 

It more than rains.

 

It buckets down, a torrential downpour that starts when they're standing by the edge of the stream and continues the whole way back to the dorm. Chaewon slips in the mud by the stile, falling down onto her knees, hands out in front of her. Minjoo helps her up, hands on her elbow. She has mud all the way down her jeans and her gloves are filthy and she's wet and cold and a little embarrassed.

Minjoo helps her over the stile, and her hair is plastered to her forehead and it's suddenly ridiculously cold.

“I need a bath,” Minjoo complains, over the sound of the rain. They're running across the soccer field, trying not to slip over, Chaewon holding her hat on with one muddy hand. She can't keep up; her jeans are wet and muddy and heavy.

Minjoo stops, and holds her hand out, and Chaewon laughs and grabs Minjoo’s hand. They run across the grounds in the rain and in the back door, laughing and wet through and cold.

Ms. Kwon, the hall mother, comes out of her office, and rolls her eyes. “Boots off, girls,” she says, “and go and have a hot bath, the two of you. Going out in this weather–” she walks off still talking, and Minjoo and Chaewon look at each other and laugh.

It’s as if everyone else is out, and their dormitory is empty when they tumble in, cold and wet and muddy. They grab their towels and their dressing gowns and slippers, and head back down the corridor to the bathroom. They have it to themselves, and they lock the door and smile.

Minjoo starts to peel off her clothes, even before Chaewon tur