​​​​​​                “Ok, now that we have introduced the club and gone over dues and all that I’d like for our new members to stand up and introduce yourself, your year and what’s your favorite game,” Mina said before gesturing for them to start and sitting down.

 

                A serious looking girl with dark hair that fell into her eyes stood up first, “Hey, my name is Hyejoo, I’m a freshman, and my favorite games are League of Legends and PUBG,” she said before sitting down quickly.

 

                The blonde girl sitting next to her stood up next, she was beaming ear to ear, “Hiiiii, my name is Chaewon, I’m also a freshman, I enjoy freestyle rapping, break dancing, and oh…. What was that game Hyejoo just said? The one where I get to run over people in the car,”

 

                “Mario Kart? I didn’t say—” Hyejoo whispered in confusion.

 

                “Oh wait, PUBG! That one! And the one with the little chubby pink dude that runs really cutely,” She finished and then sat down looking proudly at Hyejoo who was hiding her face in embarrassment.

 

                Next the sole guy in the room stood up, “Um hi everyone, I’m Daniel, I’m a senior. I’ve always wanted to join Games Club, but the meetings were always at the same time as wrestling practice so now that they’ve changed, I can finally join. I enjoy the classics such as pinball, Pacman, and uhhh foosball,” then he took his seat. Mina looked at Tzuyu and nodded for her to stand up next.

 

                “Hello, my name is Tzuyu, I’m a sophomore transfer from Taiwan… I’m on the field hockey team so thanks for moving the meeting time for me as well. I uhh… my favourite game is pool I guess,” She said.

 

                “And she’s really good too,” Mina added.

 

                “I think that’s it for introductions Mina, you guys wanna get the consoles set up so we can get started?” Moderator Son asked.

 

                “I—I’m just waiting on one more person before we start,” Mina pleaded.

 

                Moderator Son looked at Mina sympathetically, “Maybe she isn’t coming…”

 

                “No, she said—”

 

                “Daniel, I’m going to kick your !” Nayeon said bursting into the club room and pointing a finger threateningly at him.

 

                “Oh good, she’s here,” Moderator Son said before disappearing into the closet to start taking out the equipment.

 

                “Wh—what?” Daniel said, standing up slowly.

 

                “Oh, thank God, every other room I tried just looked at me like I was crazy,” Nayeon sighed before adjusting her stance to square up.

 

                Daniel also adjusted his stance. He was confused, but not about to take a beating for no reason.

 

                “Didn’t he say he was on the wrestling team?” Tzuyu whispered to Umji who was sitting nearest to her.

 

                Umji chuckled in response.

 

                “This should be fun,” Tzuyu snorted before turning back to Nayeon and Daniel who were circling each other.

 

                “Anyone want popcorn?” Moderator Son asked, poking her head out of the closet, “Holy a real-life fight!” she exclaimed dropping the tubs of popcorn on the floor.

 

                Sei, and Sakura instantly jumped up to help her pick them up.

 

                “Where’d she go?”

 

                “I think she’s in here,”

 

                “THIS IS FOR JIHYO!!” Nayeon cried out as she ran at Daniel.

 

                “Yep, definitely in here,”

 

                “Nayeon stop!” Jeongyeon called as she burst into the club room, and ran to her girlfriend, wrapping her arms around her waist to prevent her from getting any closer, “He’s a wrestler, you won’t win,”

 

                Nayeon instantly dropped struggling and hid behind Jeongyeon, “But he’s causing problems for my Jihyo,” she still attempted to say with some intimidation.

 

                Daniel dropped his defensive stance as well and his expression softened to that of confusion and hurt as he looked at Jihyo for the first time.

 

                “I—I didn’t mean to… I didn’t know…” He trailed off.

 

                “It’s not your fault,” Jihyo soothed as she went to his side and wrapped him in a hug, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was struggling. You wanted to meet my friends and family so bad, but I was hiding you because I was scared of how they would react. I hadn’t told any of them I was straight yet… my mom had always wanted me to date Yoo Jeongyeon and I… and I couldn’t bare to tell her,”

 

                “I’m so sorry if you felt pressured, I never meant to do that to you,” He said, “I wish I had known what you were going through. I could have tried to help,”

 

                “You didn’t pressure me, I pressured myself. I want to be good for you Daniel. I want us to be everything that they are,” She said gesturing at Nayeon and Jeongyeon who were also embraced. Jeongyeon was lovingly running her hand through Nayeon’s hair.

 

                Sei, Sakura, and Moderator Son devoured handfuls after handfuls of the popcorn as their eyes flicked back and forth intensely between Jihyo and Daniel and Jeongyeon and Nayeon. This was better than any game they had in their reserves.

 

                “L—like we are?” Jeongyeon stuttered in surprise.

 

                “Yeah… I know you guys have your ups and downs, but I guess half the reason I was so mad is because I was also jealous. I’ve always looked up to you,” Jihyo admitted, “Daniel, these are my best friends Im Nayeon and Yoo Jeongyeon. If you’re going to meet my parents – which will be soon hopefully – take a page out of Jeong’s book. My mom will forever compare you to her,” Jihyo joked.

 

                They exchanged polite introductions before Jeongyeon finally seemed to notice there were other people in the room besides them, “Uhh sorry for interrupting, we should probably get going,” she apologized as the two couples exited.

 

                They weren’t gone for long, however, before Daniel poked his head back in, “Are any of you missing a little blonde girl? She’s outside pacing around seemingly aimlessly, and I feel like she might belong to someone in here,” and then he was gone.

 

                Mina gasped before running out to the hall to find Dahyun.

 

                ~

 

                “Dahyun!” Mina called breathlessly as she burst out the doors of the building, “There you are! I was—I was worried,” she panted.

 

                Dahyun blinked up at her in surprise before looking away nervously, “I—I thought—I just—are you ready?” she asked, “T—to hear my story I mean,”

 

                “Yes, of course. Are you?” Mina asked assuredly.

 

                “As ready as I’ll ever be,” Dahyun said taking a deep breath.

 

                Mina reached over and took Dahyun’s hand in hers and squeezed comfortingly, “It’s ok Dahyun, it’s just me,”

 

                Yeah, and that’s why I’m so nervous, she thought, “Ok… here goes—well everything,” She started, “Chaeyoung helped me a lot through this because for so long I felt trapped and helpless. I was raised in a really religious family. They always taught me right from wrong. It was very black and white… until I met Sana and she turned my world upside down. Suddenly the rules didn’t seem so black and white. We were in love… it was a sweet innocent first love – Sana had just moved here from Japan and hardly spoke the language, we hung out at the park every day after school, she was even my first kiss… but I couldn’t tell the two most important people in my life about any of it. I was scared, Mina. My parents love me – don’t get me wrong – but I knew they would have a hard time accepting this part of me. I didn’t want to let them down. Suddenly their perfect daughter wasn’t as perfect as they – or she – thought she was. So, I shut it down. I told Sana I didn’t love her and that girls weren’t supposed to like girls. I told her she was – we were wrong… a mistake. And to this day it still hurts me to know I hurt her so badly… so intentionally. I made her cry. No one makes Sana cry. How could you? She’s literally the embodiment of this pure, bubbly, eternal happiness… or at least she was. After that day she changed, she became someone new… and I guess so did I in a sense. But now I’m finally ready… I’m ready to face these feelings inside me. I met someone… and she made me realize I’m not my parents. I can be whoever I want to be. I can be me…. Oh, and Chaeyoung also told me to apologize to you on her behalf for flirting with you the other day. She only did it because I was there and she wanted to make me jealous, but she realizes that was wrong of her, so she’s sorry.”

 

                “I—I made you realize all that stuff? Dahyun… I don’t know if I’m the one who should be giving you advice about speaking out against your parents. I mean mine are—are literally—” Mina’s voice started to shake.

 

                “You don’t have to say it. Over the year I’ve kind of pieced it together,” Dahyun hastily answered, saving Mina from an uncomfortable confesstion, “You moved to Korea to get away from them and their reputation. That’s why you never like talking about them… and why you always say they can’t come here. Whatever it is, I understand. The fact that you were brave enough to move to an entirely different country to be free to be yourself and make your own choices and write your own story… yeah, it’s inspiring Mina. Thank you…”

 

                “Dahyun I—I don’t know what to say…”

 

                “Just say you like me too. Please say this wasn’t all for nothing,”

 

                “Dahyun I don’t—I don’t just like you… I really really like you—like a lot. And I was so worried you wouldn’t—couldn’t feel the same way.”

 

                “I’m so sorry I worried you… you had every reason to doubt me though. I didn’t—"

 

                Mina didn’t allow Dahyun to finish the sentence before she cut her off with a kiss.

 

                When Mina finally broke away it was to a grinning Dahyun, “Yep, I’m definitely gay,” Dahyun joked giddily.

 

                Mina rolled her eyes in response.

 

                “Oh, and Chaeyoung also said she hopes you don’t mind being replaced as my best friend…”

 

                “Yeah? And why’s that?” Mina asked, suddenly defensive.

 

                “Well because we—I was kind of hoping you would be my girlfriend instead?”

 

                Mina chuckled, “What a wing woman that cub is… I’ll have to thank her next time I see her,”

 

                “So… That’s a yes?”

 

                “Yes of course it’s a yes!” Mina exclaimed before she kissed Dahyun again.

 

                Back at the games club meeting everyone had followed Mina to the door and were munching their popcorn and watching from the window.

 

                ~

 

[ding]

 

                “Momo, that’s like the fifth time your phone has rang and you’ve ignored it, what’s going on?” Sana asked.

 

                Momo hadn’t been ignoring the messages on purpose this time around. She was too preoccupied by clinging to the ‘oh bar’ in Rosé’s car for dear life to bother checking. She knew it was probably Chaeyoung wanting to hang out anyway… and she just didn’t have the energy to do that right now. In fact, the only reason she’d agreed to ride with Rosé in the first place is because she was trying to avoid the younger girl.

 

                “N—nothing, I—I’m not ignoring anything,” Momo struggled to say as Rosé clipped a curb going 60 in a 30 and Momo’s side of the jeep caught a small amount of air.

 

                “Really?” Sana questioned disbelievingly. She had nothing better to do than to prod at Momo’s love life since the only lead she had in hers was seemingly avoiding her now, “So you wouldn’t mind if I checked them then?” she said quickly lurching forward to grab Momo’s phone out of the pocket of her dance bag and typing in her password by heart.

 

                “NO! Sana! Don’t meddle! Please!” Momo cried out, she tried to reach behind her for the phone when Rosé slammed on the breaks suddenly to point out a dog across the street and Momo’s hands quickly shot back to their firm grip above her, “I’m going to be sick,” she moaned, but whether it was the prospect of Sana having full control of her phone or Rosé’s reckless driving, she wasn’t sure.

 

                “Does Chaeyoung always triple text you like this?” Sana questioned, “What does she mean by ‘your stuff’ anyway… wait hold on, this last one actually wasn’t from Chaeyoung it was from… Mina…” Sana trailed off and closed Momo’s phone suddenly.

 

                “What?” Momo questioned, trying her best to look back at Sana without letting go, “What did Mina say? Is she ok?”

 

                “Define ‘ok’” Sana asked sliding the phone back into its original location in resign, “She—she’s dating Dahyun,”

 

                ~

 

[17:42] Sleepy Cub 🐅: or not. i’m cool with whatever

                Sleepy Cub 🐅: i was thinking of staying in anyway. i’m kinda tired

[17:51] Momo: YESSSSSSS 😝😝😝 let’s hang bb. Wanna come over? We can stay in at my place. 😛

                Momo: Sana said she misses you 😘😈

[Unsent] Sleepy Cub 🐅: holy are you for real?

[17:54] Sleepy Cub 🐅: yeah that sounds chill. where do you live?

[Unread by Momo]

 

[17:50] Mitang: I took your advice and asked her about it… it went well!! I’ve got a girlfriend now!

                [Image Attached]

[Read by H. Momo at 17:52]

[17:53] Mitang: She feels really really horrible about what she did to Sana and wants to apologize so they can both have closure. I told her it was probably a good idea, but I’d ask you. Do you think that could work?

[Unread by H. Momo]

 

                ~

 

                Momo never texted Chaeyoung back, so she decided it, I’m going to visit my other friends. She had already put in enough work this afternoon that she didn’t need to stay out late tonight. This was the perfect opportunity to get something done she’d been itching to do.

 

                Chaeyoung walked into the dingy tattoo parlor that she’d come to know very well over the past few years. She went straight to the back. She didn’t bother to mess around with the formalities of scheduling and such. This place was practically her home away from home, and the staff was basically her family.

 

                “Jay, what you got for me today?” Chaeyoung said, tossing her backpack down next to the table and hopping up on it.

 

                “Nothing, we’re really busy as you can see,” He said gesturing to the small queue waiting in the lobby, before turning back to who he was currently working on.

 

                “Do you need help? I did my apprenticeship here, so you know I learned from the best…” Chaeyoung offered.

 

                He paused what he was doing and thought for a moment before responding slowly, “I—I couldn’t pay you,”

 

                “That’s ok. I can think of several other ways you can make it up to me,” she said unconsciously rubbing her nape.

 

                “Fine, you can take that table then,” he sighed and got back to meticulously tattooing fine on his patient’s leg.

 

                Chaeyoung hopped off the table and pulled the nearest rolling chair to her to sit on instead, “Alright, who’s first?” Chaeyoung asked looking up at the customers patiently waiting to be seen.

 

                “Chaeyoung, already ready for another?” Hyolyn called coming up from the back with refill colours for a large watercolour piece she was working on, “Fever got you that bad?”

 

                “I wish… Jay’s got me working today,” She replied, chuckling.

 

                G Dragon looked up from the large snake he had just finished drawing on transfer paper, “You know we can’t pay you right?”

 

                “Right, and you know I can’t afford to pay for my tattoo addiction, so we’ll scratch each other’s backs,” Chaeyoung joked, she heard G Dragon audibly scoff as she turned around and winked at her fist customer after delivering her horrendous pun.

 

                “What brings you here today?” Chaeyoung asked the shy looking girl before her.

 

                “M—my boyfriend and I are in love and I…” she started.

 

                “I’m allowed to say no right?” Chaeyoung called over her shoulder.

 

                “Absolutely,” Jay grinned wickedly.

 

                “Saying no is my favourite part,” G Dragon snorted.

 

                “Love isn’t real—absolutely not,” Chaeyoung dismissed the girl quickly.

 

                “Uh—uhm what?” the girl asked, taken aback. She hadn’t expected her to disagree this fast.

 

                “Look,” Chaeyoung said taking the girl’s arm in one hand and grabbing a red sharpie in the other. She uncapped the pen with and began easily doodling, “I’ve been told I draw a pretty cute strawberry though? How about it?” She said looking expectantly at the girl once she was finished.

 

                “I—I don’t know,” She thought for a moment, “Are you sure you won’t—”

 

                “Not a ing chance,”

 

                “I guess the strawberry is pretty cute… ok fine,”

 

                G Dragon face palmed, and Hyolyn clapped her hands together excitedly, “She’s good, Jay, I like her already,”

 

                “We’ll see,”

 

                ~

 

                By closing, Chaeyoung had managed to convince 70% of her customers to walk away with fruit or vegetable tattoos and she snickered proudly at herself as she cleaned her station, “I can’t believe someone let me tattoo a cabbage on them.”

 

                 “I hope you know you’re 100% getting a vegetable tattoo after today,” Jay grumbled as he did the same.

 

                “Hey… boyfriends are bad for your body, salad is good for your body,” Chaeyoung reasoned.

 

                “Can’t argue with that logic,” Hyolyn agreed as she chomped on a baby carrot behind them. Jay, G Dragon and Chaeyoung all shot her a look, “What? You had me craving veggies after all your salad flashes!” She exclaimed.

 

                “You know those have been sitting in the fridge for months,” G Dragon deadpanned.

 

                Hyolyn slowly opened and let the crushed carrot fall out into the trashcan before she tossed the bag in after.

 

                “Ok, who’s tattooing me after all my hard work today?” Chaeyoung asked, rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

 

                Hyolyn, Jay, and G Dragon all looked at each other and smiled, “Can you handle three at once?”

 

                “Oh, yeah!” She said excitedly hopping up on G Dragon’s table in the middle. They all circled around her with their guns at the ready, “Wait, wait, wait, Jay can you please do the one I told you about on my nape?”

 

                “Ugh fine, I guess I’ll hold off on doing the eggplant on your finger until next time,” he groaned teasingly.

 

                “I call her wrist!” Hyolyn shouted as she began cleaning her intended area.

 

                “I’ll take her shoulder then,” G Dragon said doing the same.

 

                “Left arm only please… I may need to use my right arm later,” Chaeyoung joked.

 

                Jay face palmed, G Dragon shot her an unamused look, and Hyolyn snorted, “You are rotten Son Chaeyoung, you sure we shouldn’t throw you away?”

 

                “For painting!” Chaeyoung exclaimed defensively.

 

                Jay turned away to hide his amusement, G Dragon shook his head teasingly, and Hyolyn smiled mischievously.

 

                They all shifted into place and Jay had Chaeyoung turn her head so he could get to the area under her ear better, “This good?” he asked as he prepared the area with an alcohol wipe.

 

                “Perfect,” was the last thing Chaeyoung said before all three of them the guns and their light banter was drowned out by buzzing.

 

                It wasn’t that Chaeyoung loved the pain, but the feeling was addicting. She’d always compared it to that of a repetitive annoying cat scratch. The monotonous of the needle in and out. Best of all she loved knowing that her skin was someone’s canvas. The designs they inked into her were their art. To Chaeyoung she thought that would be the highest compliment… someone wanting her art tattooed permanently into their skin forever.

 

                ~

 

                As they were heading to their cars Hyolyn and Jay walked ahead and Chaeyoung pulled G Dragon aside, “Hey… did you bring the stuff I asked you for?”

 

                “Yeah, it’s in my car… Chaeng I didn’t know you smoked. Why do you suddenly keep asking for all this weed?”

 

                “I—uhh, its kind of embarrassing actually,”

 

                He crossed his arms and waited.

 

                “There’s this girl—”

 

                As soon as she said it, he let out a groan and started walking again, “Of course there is,”

 

                “Wait!” Chaeyoung called, jogging to catch up, “She thinks I’m a drug dealer, is it so bad if I pretend just a little longer if it means I can keep seeing her?”

 

                “Yeah, because that sounds normal and healthy,” He scoffed.

 

                “Please, I feel like there could really be something here. Just this one more time,”

 

                He sighed, “Fine, this is the last time I hook you up. I’m not facilitating this anymore… and don’t you dare come asking me for a tattoo commemorating your girlfriend again because I’m only going to respond, ‘Love isn’t real’.”

 

                “Hey now, who said anything about love? That’s a long way away from here… I’ll probably be able to do myself by then,”

 

                He rolled his eyes and carefully handed her a large paper bag, but he didn’t immediately let go, “This is it,” he said sternly looking into her eyes, “I mean it,”

 

                “Y—yeah, of course, no more,” she agreed, then he let go and got in his car without another word.

 

                Well, Momo did ask Chaeyoung for everything she had… so maybe this was the perfect time to listen to everyone and retire her drug dealing ruse after all. She just hoped Momo liked her enough to want to hang out with her after she stopped getting drugs out of it