Seungwan closed her eyes, head resting against the headset. She could not stop picturing her childhood crush as her date to the ball.

'Where are you now?' She had asked that question way too many times.

In fact, she had tried to find her. She tried asking the elementary school where both Joohyun and her sister studied at. They only provided some information about her father, Mr. Bae Joohwan. The man worked in a transnational pharmaceutical company called 'SiamTechLab'. Seunghee once told her that Joohyun said he travelled a lot and spent most of his time at home locked inside the mini lab he set up there. Seungwan tried to find information about his occupational credentials on every employment platform available. Although she found several professionals with the same name, nobody fitted the physical description given by her mother or ever worked in the aforementioned company. Momma Son did not like the vibe he gave her the times he came to their house to pick up the child. 'He seemed… shady. Like he was hiding something. His overall stance made me feel uncomfortable.'

Mrs. Son was getting increasingly worried that her daughter was spending her tween years looking for a lost friend... It hurt remembering how sad she was for weeks when the Baes moved out. So, she tried to discourage Seungwan from going any further and focus on her studies and make new friends along the way.

Despite her pain, Seungwan always made the effort to be gentle and serviceable to everyone. She liked seeing the surprised yet happy and ultimately grateful reaction people had to her kindness. Especially when it came to girls around her age.

Not many years after Joohyun disappeared without a trace, Seungwan realized what the girl really meant to her. A dear friend? She had several growing up. None ever made her heart beat as fast when they clung to her arm or held her hand.

When she turned fifteen, she sat down with her mother to talk about it.

"Mommy? I don't… I don't like boys the same way other girls do. I like girls that way. I think I'm gay."

Mrs. Son had already discussed the possibility with her husband. Looking back, Seungwan acknowledged how lucky she was that her parents were OK with her ual orientation. At least they made her feel like they were. Her sister had a steady boyfriend for years, and Seungwan wondered whether they would get married once Seunghee got her degree. Her mother was already making plans for the newlyweds, and her dad often talked about how excited he was with the prospect of becoming a grandfather.

"Is there any girl you like at school?"

Her mom had made that question several times already, and Seungwan was not sure whether to say 'yes' or 'no' for the longest time. Why? Deep down she knew the memory of Joohyun did not let her fall in love. Somehow, she remained hopeful to reunite with the girl. Perhaps she still remembered her as vividly as Seungwan did, perhaps they could be friends again, perhaps she felt the same way and longed for Seungwan just as much, perhaps they could date…and then...like her sister and her fiancé, they could…

Things seemed to change this year. A new girl had moved into town and joined her class. Bright and funny, she became quite popular among her classmates in a short amount of time, her dance skills were so good, she shortly became Miss Lim's protégé and got a spot in the school dance teacher's own dance studio afterclass. Several boys tried courting her, often attending the open class sessions at the studio to watch her dance. They loved to gush over her rather mature features and voluptuous figure. Seungwan acknowledged that she was very physically attractive, but hearing their comments made her blood boil because the way they objectified the girl was too gross.

As expected, many of them had already asked the girl to be their date for the prom night. So, it surprised Seungwan a lot when three days before the event, the girl came to her desk, put her hands over hers and said,

"Son Seungwan, can you go with me to the dance?"

The way she looked at her made Seungwan blush. Over the years, there were girls that had thrown hints that they liked her, sneaking short thank-you letters filled with hearts with a strong flower scent in her locker, chocolates boxes, vying to be in the same team as her no matter the course module, etc. But, this one seemed a tad too straight-forward.

"S-sure... Hmm, I'll pick you up from your house at 9 pm sharp on Saturday."

"Thank you. You're so sweet."

The girl lifted a hand and caressed Seungwan's cheek before waving goodbye with a smile. It took the short-haired brunette at least 5 minutes to process what just happened.

Unexpectedly, Seungwan had the perfect opportunity to finally forget Joohyun. Perhaps a kiss could make the trick. Perhaps more than just a kiss… She noticed the way the girl looked at her when she waved good bye that day. She remembered that she even winked. After all, Seungwan was eighteen going nineteen; half her class were s no more; going to college without your cherry popped was considered social death and many others were already planning to use the prom as the perfect excuse for that, so did she heard. Whatever the case, she would get a girlfriend this time around and tell her mom about it, avoiding details if things went further than a kiss on the lips, that would be too awkward, she thought.

Her mind started going places the following two days. She even exchanged text messages with her date, telling her she truly felt honored that she chose her, and that no girl would look as pretty as she would that night. She was hot; it should be easy to fall in love with her. Seungwan was ready to let go. She had to be ready, she went as far as googling about lesbian first time experiences and taking notes, the last thing she wanted was to disappoint her date acting clumsy and insecure. She was well aware of the reputation she had at school. All she wanted was to make her date feel like that would be the best experience of her life. Then she went to sleep that night…

She opened her eyes and her bed looked different. The room looked similar to one in a hospital. Nobody was on sight. It scared her a bit. She sat up and left the bed to walk around to make sense of where she was at the moment. Soon she found herself in the corridor. It resembled the one in her school where her classroom was located. Students were walking in and out the classrooms as they normally do before the bell rings, but nobody noticed her presence. Suddenly, a familiar voice called her name.

"Seungwan! Come quick!"

It was Seunghee running towards her.

"What? What happened?"

"She's here! She's back! She's asking for you." Seunghee yanked her arm and took her up to the third floor.

Seungwan's heart skipped a beat. Somehow she know who her sister was talking about.

As soon as she stepped out of the stairs, Seungwan saw the silhouette of a slim young-looking woman in a white mid-lenght strapless dress, her hair was straight dark brown and so long it reached her waist. The woman immediately turned around and smiled at her.

Her smile. Her unmistakable smile.

Dreaming about Joohyun happened often, her dreams were usually a mixture of their childhood memories with something she watched on TV. Although, she did not know how the girl grew up to look like because her face remained blurry, she assumed Joohyun was drop dead gorgeous. However, this time, it felt real. More real than ever.

"You're here… I've missed you. Where were you? Where-"

The woman did not say a word to her many questions, just kept her eyes on Seungwan and before the latter could react, arms were around her. A warmth she had never felt before invaded her when the girl's lips touched the corner of . Something took over her. And just like that, they were no longer in the school corridor, but her bedroom. The girl, now straddling her over her bed, came close to her face. Very, very close…

'Kiss me, Son Seungwan.'

She woke up covered in sweat, wondering why on earth she had such a dream.

She reasoned it was due to the excitement slash fear she felt now that she had decided to get to first base with her date and beyond if the girl wanted to. Her mind was a mess. Her cheeks flustered at the memory of that dream. All day long, she kept thinking about it. By the time she was all dressed up for the night, she could not stop wondering what if Joohyun were her date. Stupid, so stupid.

Time was running out, the party had already started, but Seungwan had not been able to leave the vehicle yet. She had gotten her license months ago and her dad trusted her to take good care of the family’s station wagon the time her date lasted. Everything was set for her to have the most unforgettable night ever. She should not ruining it.

Minutes later, she was finally standing up in front of the door, thinking how to introduce herself to her date’s relatives before escorting her to the car.

Finally, she gulped hard and dared to knock.

The door opened soon after. A woman in her forties welcomed her smiling widely.

“Oh, you’re here. Come in, darling!”

Seungwan had no time to say “Good Evening, Mrs. Kim” as she had planned and stepped inside the residence’s lobby.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Seungwan.” The woman’s kind expression eased the girl, who replied with her best smile possible and a polite bow.

“Bora has spoken wonders about you ever since she first met you. It got me very curious. Who is this charming young girl my daughter admires so much?”

Seungwan’s cheeks flushed. The embarrassment was real. Before arriving at the Kims residence, she wondered what Bora’s parents thought of the fact a girl was taking their daughter to prom.

“You are too kind, Mrs. Kim. Is she…uhm…coming?”

“Bora, come down now! Seungwan’s here!” The woman’s street-like yelling startled Seungwan, she did not see it coming given her very posh appearance. Soon she could hear a faint “Oh my god” followed by rushing steps.

“Seungwan!” The girl exclaimed, eyes b with joy. She was wearing a fitted pink strapless mini dress, high heels and a cute glittery purse, “I’m sorry. Did you wait a lot?”

Seungwan answered by shaking her head and smiling softly. “You look stunning.”

Her rather serious tone made Bora blush and giggle in return. Seungwan’s whole demeanor, including extending a courteous hand for her to hold and arm to cling to made Bora’s stomach feel like it was full of restless butterflies.

“Oh but you look so cute together! Let me take a picture!” Mrs. Kim rushed to open her cellphone’s camera.

“Mom, it’s late, we need to go.” Bora protested rolling her eyes in annoyance.

“Just one, Bora, it won’t take a second.” The woman frowned and asked them to stand closer and pose for her lens.

“Say cheese!”

Seungwan complied as requested, and Bora wanted the ground to open and swallow her entirely.

“Mom…”

“OK, OK. Take care, both of you, OK? You will bring my daughter back on time, right?”

“Yes, ma’am. You have my word.” Seugnwan nodded almost martially.  

"Bye, mom!" Bora yanked Seungwan’s arm and rushed out of the house.

“She’s so controlling, so annoying. I can’t stand her, I swear.” Bora huffed and puffed after entering the car, “I’m so sorry, Seungwan, she made you feel uncomfortable.”

“It’s OK; she’s concerned about your safety, that’s all.” Seungwan replied smiling faintly before leaning closer to buckle the girl’s seat belt for her.

Her proximity made Bora gasp and titter, absolutely pleased with the gesture.

“Thank you.”

She blushed the second she met Seungwan’s gaze.

‘She’s totally dashing, oh my god!’ was the first thing she could think, followed by, ‘Is it too soon to ask her to kiss me? Would that seem too desperate?’

The blushing intensified when she caught a whiff of the girl’s perfume.

“My pleasure.” Seungwan mouthed, mesmerized by the beauty of the girl’s face up close.  She saw Bora shut her eyes closed readying her lips for her to kiss, but Seungwan’s mind immediately flew back to that ed up dream. That was not right.

She forced a cough making Bora open her eyes immediately.

“Your mom might be spying on us from your house wondering why we aren’t leaving yet.”

Bora widened her eyes scared at the thought, and quickly looked through the car window, “Ugh, you’re right. She is.”

“Let’s go. We are going to be late for real. I think the party already started.”

Seungwan started the engine and drove to their destination.

"Forget about that dream. This is not only awkward but also disrespectful to Bora. You like her. She likes you. She's hot, she's cute."

Seungwan remained silent the entire trip. Bora assumed it was because her failed kiss attempt was off putting to her, and started recriminating herself inwardly.

It took them half an hour to arrive, and the venue was packed already. The queue was long, but to Seungwan’s fortune, it moved quite fast.

The event took place in an old remodeled mansion with a garden in the backyard prepared for cocktail parties, ceremonies, and the likes. The school spared no expenses, the organizing student committee was very proud of the sumptuous location and decorations. Both Seungwan and Bora could not help but gasp in awe and exchange happy looks. It eased the awkwardness between them when they were in the car earlier.

Students were everywhere, some sitting at the many tables scattered around the big square dancefloor, chatting, toasting and eating the food served by elegantly dressed waiters, while others were standing, chatting and laughing. Seungwan caught a glimpse of a couple making out in a corner. The boy had his hands all over the girl's body, one even sneaking under the hem of her tight dress as their mouths savored each other. The sight made her gulp. Not just because of second-hand embarrassment, though. It took her back to that cursed dream. Seungwan woke up sweating copiously because she was sure it was her. It was Joohyun. The thought was so freaky. Seungwan had no real clue how the girl looked all grown up, why did her brain make her think otherwise. It tricked her badly.

“The dinner is quite delicious, don’t you think?” Bora asked her albeit she had barely touched her plate. She had noticed Seungwan looked a tad apprehensive.

“Huh? Oh yeah it is delicious.” Seungwan snapped back and forced a smile before sipping on her glass of wine.

“You look so dashing in that grey suit.” Bora couldn’t help but laugh the second her compliment made Seungwan almost choke on her drink and spill it over the table cloth.  

“I’m sorry. I’m being too clumsy. This is not OK. I’m so sorry.” Seungwan apologized in a frenzy trying to clean up the mess she just made.

“You’re cute, too.” Bora continued. “I knew it soon after I learned about you.”

“Is that why you asked me to be your prom date?” Seungwan was really curious to learn the reason. She had no clue whether the girl was into girls for real. She assumed she was at some point, why else would she reject all the boys for her? Why was Bora’s mother so excited about this night? Was she as supportive as her own parents were?

“I’m gonna be honest with you. I broke up with my boyfriend of 2 years before I came to this city. He was very handsome, but the bastard cheated on me; I grew disillusioned of men after that. Coming here, I realized they were all the same.”

“Well, I guess I would agree on that. They’ve put their eyes on you from day one.”

“I know.” Bora rolled her eyes. “But you caught my attention in a heartbeat, Son Seungwan. Rumor has it you are into girls. Am I wrong?”

“Well… no, you’re not. I’m a proud lesbian.” Many knew Seungwan’s uality, and she was happy that the society she grew in was inclusive and progressive, and bigots were not tolerated. Not to say they did not exist, because they did nonetheless.

“How is your mom OK with us dating, I mean me being your date tonight.” Suddenly, Seungwan felt like she had to scrap the plans she had with Bora for the night.

“Well. She knows how entitled and predatory men are. My dad is a ing prick and I’m glad they’re finally divorced. When I told her a girl who I really admired and who took care of me during my time in this new school would take me to the ball, she felt immense relief.”

“I see…”

“Why are we talking about her? Ugh, please don’t ruin the night.”

Seungwan couldn’t help tittering at the girl’s clear animosity with her mother, she felt sad they weren’t as close as she was with hers but her reaction was amusing anyway, “Sorry.”

“Whatever, the truth is I’ve always been curious about being with a girl. Something about you makes me feel like it’d be very exciting.” Bora reached out to where her partner’s hand was resting and caressed it. Now Seungwan picked back her initial plans from the imaginary trash bin she threw them in a moment ago.

“I appreciate your honesty a lot. I’m sorry for being a mess so far.” She laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head with her free hand.

“The night is young. You can still make up for that. I’m dying to kiss you, you know that, right?”

The short heighted girl could only nod, because at that same moment, the DJ played a popular upbeat romantic song and Bora took the chance to drag her to the dancefloor. She was so excited, it was infectious and Seungwan soon warmed up to the situation and let herself go.

The music selection changed to slow jams and Bora took the chance to pull Seungwan's body closer to hers and slid her arms around the light brown-haired girl’s neck. Their sudden closeness made Seungwan grow red in her cheeks and earlobes.

Bora would kiss her at any moment. Seungwan was sure she would, so she closed her eyes slowly.

"Kiss me, Son Seungwan."

That voice… Seungwan bulged her eyes open petrified at the sight and stepped back as a jerk reaction. She was there in place of her date. No, it could not be. That’s simply unbelievable!

"Seungwan? Are you OK?" Bora asked confused.

"I'm-I'm sorry. I think I need to go to the toilet."

The girl stormed out of the dancefloor looking for the nearest restroom.

Once inside, she rushed to open the faucet and splashed water all over her face. This was not happening.

"Way to ruin a perfect date, Seungwan. Great job."

Anger and shame made her stomp her feet and curse out loud. No, she could not do this to Bora. The girl went out of her way to ask her to be her date. She did not deserve it. Seungwan convinced herself that she should forget about Joohyun right that instant. The girl was nothing but a beautiful memory. Nothing more, nothing less. A vivid dream could not change that fact; it would not bring her back.

Amidst her remorse, she heard voices coming from the window that faced the mansion’s garden.

"Stop it, please. Someone could see us."

"Don't worry, there's nobody around. C'mon, babe. Don't ruin this. Let me touch them, I know you want it."

"No, I don't. I wanna go back home."

"No, you're not going anywhere."

"Stop, Chanyeol, please!"

Seungwan quickly realized what the situation was and without thinking twice, she rushed outside towards where the voices came from.

"Liar, you’re so y when you get mad, come here."

"No! Stop, please, you're hurting me please!!"

The sight of a larger than life boy cornering a girl against the wall, with his hands gripping her wrists enraged Seungwan.

"Leave her alone!" She shouted at him and yanked off his suit from behind to separate him from the girl. Her level of adrenaline skyrocketed giving Seungwan unusual strength with which she managed to snatch the girl away from him. In a heartbeat, she shield her body with hers.

"Who the are you?" The boy stared at her perplexed, his eyes bulging. The lights were too dim to distinguish her features.

It was then that Seungwan realized that she had gotten in big trouble. She knew who he was. Park Chanyeol, the heir of one of the top conglomerates in the country, and a known womanizer. He was a year older than Seungwan but failed to graduate on time, of course that would not appear on his record, but he had to redo the year anyway.

"Just leave her alone. She told you to." She could hear the whimpers of the girl hiding behind her back.

"Ah, right! You're that little dyke who keeps stealing hot girls' attention at school." He snorted, his face morphing into a scowl. "Mind your own business for once and stop touching things that aren’t yours. Give my girlfriend back to me, I'm warning you." He approached her ready to smack her.

Unfazed, Seungwan stood her ground. "Just leave her alone or I'll call the principal."

“Chanyeol, please. People will come. Do you want to embarrass me in front of everybody?”

The boy ignored the girl’s plead and kept confronting Seungwan, "And what is the principal gonna do? Expel me from school? I haven't done anything that merits that. So stop playing hero and off, little one." He grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up easily, ready to choke her.

“Chanyeol, stop it!! Don’t hurt her!! Stop!! Help, please!” The girl shouted in horror.

Seungwan felt his hands constraining her neck. She reckoned she was not strong enough to remove his hands off her. So before the pressure suffocated her for real, she opted for a clever alternative. A sharp kick in the balls.

He grunted in pain and fell on his knees immediately. Seungwan breathed out and used the opportunity to take the girl's hand and run away towards the main entrance.

“Are you OK?!” She heard the girl asking, but did not stop running until she reached her destination. She pondered whether she should make the offer to drive her to her residence, because she expected Chanyeol to catch them back at any second.

"I’m fine. And you? Are you OK?" Seungwan finally asked her at the same time she checked for bruises on the girl's arms.

“I am. But your neck… does it hurt?” The girl touched her there and it was then that Seungwan saw the girl's face clearly.

Her jaw dropped.

It was her. The girl in the dream. It was-

"Son Seungwan! Where were you?!" Bora's voice snapped her out of her trance. The girl came down the stairs towards them. "What is going on?"

"Bora, so-sorry! I c-can ex-explain!" Seungwan was unable to elaborate as she kept stuttering.

"What the hell happened? Why are you? Who is she?" The visibly upset young woman quickly scanned her unexpected rival the girl standing next to her date from head to toe. After all, she saw her caressing Seungwan’s neck earlier and she did not like it one bit.

“She’s-“

Seungwan needed not to say another word, the girl answered for her.

"My name is Irene."

a/n: I'm finally back, I'm very sorry for abandoning this story for so long, thank you so so so so much for your support <33333