Vivi was right. Chaewon had been too harsh. She didn’t know Hyejoo. She might have had a bad first impression, but maybe she wasn't that bad and she could even be saved.  

After a deep reflection and a night of sleep, Chaewon decided she would deal with Hyejoo first.  

And there she was, sitting in the library stairway. This time, there wasn’t a cigarette between her fingers. Chaewon took the opportunity to approach, taking in deep breaths. She sat next to her and could feel Hyejoo’s eyes on her, but she could only stare ahead.  

“Did you miss me?” Hyejoo asked, removing the airpods from her ears.  

“Yah,” Chaewon blurted and finally met her eyes, finding a smile. It was the first time Hyejoo smiled, wasn’t it? She didn’t seem so scary. Rather cute, even. “I-It’s not like that. I just... wanted to apologize. I was rude to you.”  

“I’ll only accept it if you let me pay you lunch like I wanted to.”  

“Okay, fair.”  

“But since you hurt my feelings, let’s not only have lunch.”  

“What?”  

“Saturday, let’s hang out. I haven’t explored much of the city yet and I bet you haven’t either.”  

Chaewon stared at her. “Okay.”  

“Woohoo!” Hyejoo threw her fists into the air, making Chaewon laugh.  

“Are you that happy because I said yes?”  

Hyejoo’s expression died down and her smile disappeared. “Okay, I won’t be happy about it.” Hyejoo stood up.  

“N-No, wait,” Chaewon said, walking down the stairs after her. “I was joking!”  

“Me too.” She shot her another smile, brighter this time, making her whine. “Now let’s go eat something, I’m starving. And I need a cold beer.”  

---  

Now for the hard part. Chaewon was still having a hard time dealing with all that girls liking girls thing, but she would make the effort. Even though she still thought it was wrong, she had no right to think they would be bad people because of it.  

She sat on the couch, waiting for Sooyoung and Jiwoo to arrive. They always went home before going down to get dinner, so she knew they would be there soon.  

Her feet drummed the floor, her hands tapped her legs as the minutes passed.  

As soon as she heard the click of the door, she jumped from the couch and with all her might, she looked them in the eyes.  

“Hey, Chaewon,” they greeted. Even though she always tried to avoid them, they never stopped being polite to her. 

“H-Hey.” Chaewon's voice failed her, but she cleared and went on. “Can I talk with you guys for a second?”  

“Of course, did something happen?” Sooyoung asked, taking a small step closer.  

Chaewon gulped. She sat down because her knees trembled too hard, and they followed, sitting beside her.  

“First of all, I’m sorry.” Chaewon started, staring down at her lap. “I’m sure you noticed how I’ve been avoiding the both of you.”  

“We kinda did. Was it something we did?” Jiwoo asked.  

“N-No! It’s just that...” Why did it feel so difficult to say it?  

“Is this because of what happened the first day?” Sooyoung asked. “We’re sorry, Chaewon, we never meant to make you feel unwelcome-”  

“No, you don’t need to apologize. It’s just that I d-didn’t know, I had never seen, y-you know...”  

“Two girls together?”  

Chaewon felt her face burning. “Yes. It was very shocking for me and I didn’t know what to think or how to act around you. I still don’t understand, but I’m trying.”  

“What don’t you understand? We can help you. And we don’t want you to feel uncomfortable around us. We’re roommates after all. And we want to be your friends.” Sooyoung gave her a kind smile.  

“How does a girl like… a girl? How do you know you do?”  

“How do you know you like boys?” Jiwoo asked.  

Chaewon opened just to close it again.  

“You just know. We’ve been together for four years already,” Jiwoo said, and Sooyoung nodded with a smile. “And it didn’t take us long to realize we loved each other.”  

Chaewon awed. “I come from a very traditional and religious family, and I’m very religious myself, so all my life I was told that a woman is supposed to be with a man. I’ve heard and seen a thing or two on the internet but, I guessed it was very, very rare, to a point it barely even existed.”  

“We know that’s still a huge problem in our society.” Sooyoung sighed. “There are people who hate us and think we’re disgusting just because we like the same gender. There are even people who are killed for being gay.”  

“K-Killed?” Chaewon frowned, then dropped her head. “I don’t hate you guys. I may not agree but I would never try to hurt you and I respect your choice.”  

“It’s not a choice, Chaewon,” Jiwoo said. “We didn’t choose to like girls. But I guess you could say that we chose to accept that part of ourselves and live according to what we feel, with the person we love.” Sooyoung nodded in agreement. “But we’re happy you’re making an effort to understand even with your background. We realize it’s not easy for you either.”  

Chaewon couldn’t help but smile seeing that the girls were not offended by her and made as much of an effort to understand her side.  

“Also, Chaewon, we’re still sorry for being so careless and no matter what, we never want to make you feel like a third wheel or that we don’t want you here.” Sooyoung rested her hand on her shoulder. “We’re happy that we could talk this out and we’re here for anything you need, right Jiwoo?” Jiwoo nodded with a smile. “If you feel uncomfortable or if you don’t understand something, ask us.”  

“Now let’s go get dinner, yes?” They stood up, and so did Chaewon.  

For the first time since she got there, she wouldn’t have dinner alone.  

--- 

Chaewon stood in front of the building. With so much happening, the first week of classes went by in the blink of an eye.  

The click of the front door made Chaewon turn and her eyes bulged even for only a split second. Hyejoo noticed and smirked.  

“Like what you see?”  

“Why are you dressed like that? Aren’t we just going for lunch and a walk?”  

“Yes, and? I always dress like this.”  

No, Hyejoo didn’t always wear a crop top, high waist shorts, and knee-length fishnets. Chaewon looked down at herself, at her jeans, yellow shirt and old sneakers.  

“You’re good, don’t worry. You’re pretty so it doesn’t matter what you wear. Let’s go? The restaurant we’re going to is pretty close.”  

Chaewon nodded and followed her, trying her hardest to ignore the remark.  

She spent the next five minutes listening to Hyejoo complementing the restaurant, using her absurd amount of swear words to emphasize her sentiment, “It’s so ing good!”  

It was a ramen bar, right next to one of Harvard entrances. Chaewon couldn’t hide the joy in her face when they stepped inside and her nose greeted the delicious aroma of noodles and broth.  

“Glad I made a good choice,” Hyejoo said.  

“I don’t know the last time I had a good bowl of ramen. Thank you, Hyejoo.”  

“We didn’t even order yet and you’re already thanking me?” Hyejoo chuckled. “Let’s enjoy the food first.”  

After taking their time to decide what to eat and place their order, silence settled in. Chaewon took a sip of water and as she lowered her glass, her eyes found Hyejoo’s.  

“S-So,” Hyejoo said, clearing . “Why come to Harvard?”  

“I was in my first year and there was this opportunity to earn a scholarship for a full year at Harvard.”  

“Holy , you won a scholarship? I heard it’s ing impossible to get a Harvard scholarship, especially if you’re from abroad.”  

“Well it’s not impossible, as you see, but it’s not a walk in the park. I was the only one in my University to get it and there were many applicants.”  

“Are you the next Einstein or something?” Hyejoo asked, her chin almost reaching the table. “What are you studying?”  

Chaewon chuckled. “Psychology.”  

“Oh, then here’s the one to discover the big secrets of the human mind. I heard you only get to use 10% of your brain on a daily basis, is that true?”  

“No, I don’t think so,” Chaewon said as she stopped trying to hold her laugh. “And I just want to be a therapist, really.”  

Hyejoo stared at her. “Wow. That’s cool. You’re gonna be a great therapist then.”  

“I-I’ll work hard. What about you?”  

She sighed. “I never wanted to be here.”  

“Why are you here then?” Chaewon frowned.  

“My ing father.” Hyejoo rolled her eyes, twirling a chopstick on her fingers.  

How could someone talk like that about their parents? Chaewon didn’t know how to react, and while she tried to say anything at all, their food arrived. She looked down at her huge bowl of noodles and almost forgot about the conversation.  

“Just because he’s a famous lawyer his only daughter must be one too. And because he also studied at Harvard and it’s an oh-so prestigious school. Bull.” 

“You don’t want to become a lawyer then?”  

“Of course not, it ing . Who the hell even lives with themselves when they make their living convincing the judge to let murderers, rapists, arsonists or whatever off the hook? And I don’t have any choice but to graduate in law.”  

Chaewon observed as Hyejoo rolled a mouthful of noodles on her chopsticks and blew a few times before diving on it, sighing in satisfaction. “So ing delicious.”  

Did that mean Hyejoo was just now starting college? So Hyejoo was younger than her?! She could almost swear she looked like a senior. 

And wasn’t it unfair?  

While Hyejoo’s father could afford to have her there for the whole duration of the degree, Chaewon had to work her impossible hardest to earn a yearly scholarship.  

But while Chaewon was pursuing her dream, Hyejoo wasn’t. She wasn’t even allowed to have a dream of her own.  

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Hyejoo asked, bringing Chaewon back from her thoughts.  

“Y-Yes, I was just thanking God for the food on our table.”  

The delicious taste of her food was what she needed to wash away the bitterness in .  

“I hope you find joy in what you’re doing,” Chaewon said.  

Hyejoo chuckled. “I won’t, but thank you anyway.”  

Even though Chaewon barely knew Hyejoo, she could almost see the sadness behind her smile.  

“Man, these dumplings are the best, try one.”  

Before Chaewon could reach it, Hyejoo held one in front of her. Her body moved forward but froze before biting it.  

There was this voice ringing in the back of her mind. But she wouldn’t let it scare her, so she accepted it, raising her eyebrows in surprise as she munched on the crispy dumpling.  

She used to feed and share food with Vivi all the time back at home, it wasn’t going to be any different now.  

Right?  

---  

“Beautiful, right?” Hyejoo asked, eyes fixed ahead.  

Boston’s skyline might be one of the most beautiful things Chaewon had ever seen. The large river dividing the two sides of the city reflected the sunlight, making it hard to look at the other side without squinting. Even so, Chaewon didn’t want to look anywhere else.  

“Can people swim here?”  

“I don’t think they can. Why, do you want to?”  

“I don’t know how to.”  

Hyejoo turned her head towards her with widened eyes. “How come?”  

“I never went to the beach.”  

“What about swimming pools?”  

“Does my bathtub count?”  

Hyejoo let out a loud, high pitched laugh and looked back at the river. “That’s a shame.”  

Either Hyejoo wasn’t very emphatic or she was bad at comforting people.  

“That must be so cool,” Hyejoo said, and Chaewon followed her eyes.  

Tiny sailboats decorated the landscape, each maneuvered by a single person, turning the sail from one side to the other to steer the boat.  

“What does it feel like to ride a boat?” Chaewon asked. She didn’t need to ask if Hyejoo had done it before to know she did.  

“It’s… relaxing, I guess.”  

“You guess?”  

“I don’t know how to describe it. Just feeling the waves and the wind in your face, you know. You need to do it to know what it’s like exactly.” 

“Well, I wish I could.” 

“I’m sure you will someday.”  

---  

Chaewon slowed her pace as they reached Hyejoo's apartment.  

"I'll take you to your dorm," Hyejoo said, looking back.  

"Oh, you don't need to. It's five minutes from here, it's okay. You already did a lot for me today."  

"So, it’s pretty close. I’ll go."  

"That's a very unfair way to get your way." Chaewon crossed her arms.  

"Life's unfair. Now, which way is it?" Hyejoo moved aside.  

"Okay fine, it’s straight ahead," Chaewon said, resuming her walk with Hyejoo beside her. "But only if you accept that I get you something, like-"  

"A beer! A cold beer would be the best thing to wrap up this day."  

Chaewon rolled her eyes. "Fine, let's get you a beer."  

Hyejoo jumped like a kid who just got candy from her mother and Chaewon couldn't hold a giggle.  

After getting said beer, "When you say getting a beer, it's not a single one, it's a 6-beer pack.", Chaewon plopped on the couch, while Hyejoo took a look around.  

"Wow, their suites are nice. Do you have a room for yourself?"  

"Yes, and my roommates share the other."  

"Cool." Hyejoo sat next to Chaewon. She took a large sip of her beer and sighed like an old man. "Now I know where you live, if I feel bored I can just come here and bother you."  

Chaewon shot her laser beams with her eyes. "No, you can’t! Don’t you have better things to occupy your time with?"  

"Playing video games, but it doesn’t sound as fun." Hyejoo winked at her.  

The click of the door opening made Chaewon jolt. Sooyoung and Jiwoo stepped inside, her eyes jumping between them.  

"H-Hi! Oh, this is Son Hyejoo, remember-"  

"The one from the luggage thing?" Jiwoo approached with Sooyoung beside her. "You became friends, I see."  

"Yep." Hyejoo stood up. "A funny could-have-been-a-bad-story with a happy ending."  

"I'm Kim Jiwoo, nice to meet you."  

"You got Korean roommates, you're lucky, Chaewon," Hyejoo said.  

"And the nicest and most beautiful she could get. I’m Ha Sooyoung, by the way.”  

"She loves to brag," Jiwoo whispered behind her hand.  

"With good reason, she’s ing right." Hyejoo eyed Sooyoung from head to toe.  

Chaewon winced at Hyejoo using swear words upon meeting them, but they didn’t seem to mind, as they giggled with Hyejoo’s reaction.  

“Yes, I know my girlfriend is the most beautiful in this world.” Jiwoo nodded with the proudest smile, grabbing Sooyoung’s hand.  

"Wow, wait, she's your girlfriend?" Hyejoo asked, amusement all over her face.  

Sooyoung laughed. "Yes, I’m sorry, you’re very pretty yourself, but you’ll have to try your chances with someone el-"  

"GAY HUG!" Hyejoo opened her arms.  

Sooyoung and Jiwoo shared a look before jumping into Hyejoo's hug.  

"You guys down for a beer?" Hyejoo asked. "A beer for the gays!"  

"We have beer?!" Jiwoo gasped.  

“Yeah, Chaewon insisted on thanking me for our first date with beer! See, I have no interest in Sooyoung, I was just complimenting her looks. I’ve got my sights set on Chaewon already,” Hyejoo said, winking at the couple, then looked at Chaewon to scan her reaction.  

“What?! N-No, what are you talking about, that’s a lie!” Chaewon yelled, flailing her arms in the air, color draining from her face. “Hey, Son Hyejoo!”  

The three couldn’t stop laughing.  

“Don’t worry Chaewon, we know she’s joking,” Jiwoo said. “I say the gay council agrees that you have the privilege of sharing the ritual of beer for the gays with us even though you’re not a member!”  

The other girls nodded in approval.  

"I-I don't drink. Wait, what do you mean you guys are a council--"  

"Just try it. If you don't like it, I'll drink it, don't worry." Hyejoo shoved the beer into her hands, and sat, followed by the couple.  

Chaewon looked down at the cold can between her hands. Her mind was still stuck in a few minutes earlier.  

Hyejoo was gay too? 

---

A/N: well Gowon, surprise! 

Thank you for the support already, even though I normally don't answer all your comments, I read them all and they mean a lot to me, and I was really happy to know you guys enjoyed how the story started ♥️

The fluff starts on the next chapter keke ^-^