Chaewon rolled in the bed and without opening her eyes, grabbed her phone from under her pillow – a habit she had gained from all the goodnight messages she would send Hyejoo before actually going to sleep. It was still nine in the morning, December 31st.  

The last day of the year. The year in which everything changed because of one person.  

Hyejoo slept with her back turned to her. Yesterday had been tiring, so Chaewon snuggled on the back of Hyejoo’s neck and drifted back to sleep.  

They wouldn’t say they overslept because they didn’t have any schedule, but they also didn’t plan on waking up past noon.  

“Nothing’s open today, anyway.” Hyejoo yawned. “Let’s go to Brooklyn, it’s a chill place to walk and do nothing. Also, we wanna avoid this side today.”  

“Why?”  

“Too many people gather for New Year’s at the center.”  

“But I thought you wanted to spend New Year’s in New York.”  

“Yes, but not here. I know the perfect place, and believe me it’s gonna be awesome. Now, wanna have lunch at the hotel?”  

---  

Chaewon came to realize she loved the beach. There was this long road in south Brooklyn all along the beach that Hyejoo drove and Chaewon couldn’t take her eyes off the sea.  

“Can we go to the beach in the summer? I want to try going into the water.”  

There was a small chuckle. “Of course. When it’s hot enough, we’ll go,” Hyejoo said. “You want me to stop somewhere so we can take a walk on the beach?”  

The smile Chaewon offered her said everything.  

It was windy and certainly cold, but Chaewon didn’t mind. The way her boots dove into the sand with each step, the strong and distinct smell of seaweed, the sound of the waves crashing just a few steps ahead was something she never thought she would love so much.  

“You’re so gorgeous.”  

Chaewon looked up at Hyejoo. “It makes you so mad?”  

Hyejoo chuckled. “For real now. I thought I had seen beautiful people, but you... There are not even enough words in the dictionary to describe it.”  

“There’s a word to describe all that beauty you talk about.” Chaewon bit on her lip. “Son Hyejoo.”  

“That’s two words, and by your logic, I could say Chaewon is so ing Son Hyejoo.”  

“Yes. Or like, the sea is so Son Hyejoo.”  

Silence took over, because Hyejoo seemed she was out of words, but it wasn’t awkward. Chaewon loved those moments when words weren’t needed, because their warms hands grasping each other said enough.  

But like the waves crashing against the sand, a sudden urge to kiss Hyejoo washed over Chaewon. She took a bigger step and spun towards Hyejoo, stopping in front of her. Hyejoo looked down, and before she could even say a word, Chaewon’s hands s on the back of her neck to pull her for her so desired kiss.  

For a second, Hyejoo was caught off guard, but even faster she melted into the kiss, her arms pulling Chaewon even closer by her waist.  

“S-Sorry.” Chaewon had to breathe, feeling her cheeks getting warmer by the second. “I just felt like... kissing you.”  

“I mean, that’s great, but...” Hyejoo took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a second. “That’s dangerous.”  

Chaewon frowned, looking around. “Why?”  

“Because you know I have very low resistance when it comes to you.” Hyejoo leaned in to kiss her again.  

Her heart might as well rip from her chest, but Chaewon managed to pull away, even though her body was telling otherwise.  

“Sorry, that wasn’t my intention. You’ll have to wait for tonight.” Chaewon tiptoed to kiss her forehead.  

Hyejoo groaned and pouted. “What a tease. You did this on purpose.”  

“I actually didn’t.” Chaewon resumed the walk, hand grasping Hyejoo’s again.  

“Hmm, of course not. Just wait, Park Chaewon,” Hyejoo muttered, but loud enough for her to listen and make a smirk plaster across her lips, as she once again stopped in front of her.  

“Oh, and what is Son Hyejoo going to do? I’m so scared.” Her whisper caressed Hyejoo’s lips from how close she stopped. 

“F-,” Hyejoo’s throat contracted, as she squeezed Chaewon’s hand. “What are you trying to do now?”  

Chaewon giggled, booping her nose. “Now I was teasing. Learn the difference.”  

“I hate you,” Hyejoo mumbled, walking past her.  

“You should see your face, you’re so red.” 

“Yeah, I can feel it.”  

“Cute.” Chaewon smiled, and Hyejoo failed at biting back one. “Let’s stay around and watch the sunset, it’s almost time. Oh, and I hate you too.”  

---  

The cold penetrated her clothes, making her body shiver, but it was worth it.  

“Do you like it here?” Hyejoo asked, trying to move closer to Chaewon, even though the space between them was already nonexistent.  

“I love it. This is beautiful,” Chaewon said, her eyes hypnotized by the sight in front of her.  

The New York skyline view from Brooklyn’s riverside was nothing short of breathtaking. The enormous buildings reaching towards the night sky, shining with countless lights that reflected on the river, and soon, the fireworks that she was dying to watch.  

“It was a great idea, right? I searched a lot for good places to watch the fireworks, and thought this was perfect.”  

“It is.” Chaewon faced her to find the biggest, silly grin on her lips. “But I thought you would prefer a big party for New Year’s, with champagne and loud music.”  

“That's indeed how I used to spend it, but now, I would never prefer that over this peace with you.”  

Chaewon’s grin now matched hers. “But I don’t want you to stop doing what you like for me.”  

“I’m not stopping anything. This is way better than loud music and champagne.”  

“Wow, choosing me over alcohol, I’m impressed.”  

“Hey, what do you take me for?”  

“I’m joking, silly.”  

A pout formed in Hyejoo’s lips, making Chaewon laugh and pinch her cheeks.  

“You’re too cute.” Chaewon rested her forehead on hers. “It’s hard to handle.”  

“How do you think I feel whenever you smile? You think that’s easy to handle?”  

“I think we’re too lame for our own good.”  

“I think we’re just too in love.”  

“I don’t think being too in love is a thing.”  

Ten, nine, eight...  

They looked around. People shouted the countdown with raised glasses and cheers.  

“Already?” Chaewon widened her eyes.  

“Looks like it. Let’s enjoy the show.”  

A kiss before looking ahead, and the second the number one echoed, fireworks exploded in the sky above them.  

“Happy new year, Gowon.” Hyejoo intertwined their fingers and rested her head on hers.  

“Happy new year, Hyejoo.”  

“I hope you had a great year and that this one can be even better.”  

“It will be, as long as you’re with me.” Chaewon caressed her hand with her thumb.  

“I’ll never leave your side.”  

Chaewon smiled, her head turning to focus on the stunning explosions of light and color in the sky.  

---  

They stepped inside the hotel, not a soul in sight except for the lady at the reception, who welcomed them with a warm smile and wished them a Happy New Year.  

Chaewon walked to the elevator when a hand grasped her wrist.  

“Come with me,” Hyejoo muttered, the corner of her lips curled up.  

“I thought you wanted to go back to our room." 

“I said I wanted to come back to the hotel, not our room. I wanna take you somewhere.”  

Somewhere in the hotel? Chaewon didn’t ask, but a sudden excitement bubbled inside her.  

She followed Hyejoo through the corridors, and a weird smell reached her nose. Then, turning at the end, there was a door, and before opening it, Hyejoo looked back and shot her a smirk.  

The door flew open and Chaewon’s eyes went huge.  

“I was right,” Hyejoo said, pulling her further. “People wouldn’t be allowed to throw a party in the pool.”  

A pool. A freaking pool, inside the hotel, with no one aside from themselves.  

“Cool, right?”  

“B-But, how do we... can we be here?”  

“The door was open, so. If we couldn’t, the door would be locked. You said you had never swum before, so I planned this ahead of time and I got you a swimsuit.” Hyejoo handed Chaewon two pieces of clothing from her bag.  

Chaewon’s face heated up as she took a look at the simple black bottom, and the blue-flowered top Hyejoo got her.  

“Let’s go get dressed?” Hyejoo asked.  

“What if someone shows up?”  

“We are not doing anything wrong, and I doubt anyone will. It’s early, people will be partying until the sunrise.”  

Chaewon nodded and followed Hyejoo to the locker room. She took off her jacket and sweater and shivered.  

“The water is warm, rig-” But her breath got stuck in when she turned.  

It was not like she hadn’t seen Hyejoo’s body countless times already, but there was something about her animal patterned bikini that made her swallow hard.  

“Yes, the water is warm. And are you gonna stand there eating me up with your eyes, or are you gonna get dressed and come?” Hyejoo smirked.  

A flush covered Chaewon’s cheeks. She hurried to change, feeling Hyejoo’s eyes on her, but was having a hard time tightening her top.  

“C-Can you help me?” She asked, turning her back at Hyejoo.  

“Hold up your hair,” Hyejoo whispered at the back of her neck, sending a chill down Chaewon’s spine.  

Chaewon complied, and soon the chill turned into small electric waves as Hyejoo’s cold body glued to her back and hands worked their way up her waist.  

“Hyejoo,” Chaewon called, but her eyes were forced shut when warm lips kissed her shoulders.  

“Yes?” Hyejoo’s breath tickled Chaewon’s ear.  

“Is this revenge for earlier?”  

“Maybe.”  

Alright, Chaewon would play along.  

She spun and grabbed onto Hyejoo’s shoulders, shoving her towards the wall. Hyejoo grunted. “I may like it rough, but not this rou-”  

“Hyejoo!” Chaewon slapped her arm, her face fuming red.  

“You started it.”  

“I asked for help,” Chaewon said, and looking down, she found her torso . “Yah! Where’s the top you were supposed to help me with?!”  

Hyejoo pointed at the floor behind them. Chaewon grabbed it and glared at her before turning her back at her again.  

“We should be careful with these tease games,” Hyejoo said, this time actually helping her.  

“Only if you could get a hold on yourself,” Chaewon said, making sure Hyejoo could hear the smirk on her lips.  

“As if.” Hyejoo scoffed. “Tell me you wouldn’t do it right-”  

“Later.” Chaewon turned and pinched her nose. “Now, pool. That’s why you brought me here, yes?” 

Hyejoo’s expression softened, and a smile crept on her lips. “Yes.”  

She grabbed Chaewon’s hand and led the way. They stopped at the edge of the pool, and Chaewon gulped.  

“How do you go in?”  

Hyejoo took a couple steps back, ran, and jumped into the water head first, her body straight from the tip of her fingers to her toes. Chaewon recoiled, eyebrows high on her forehead, watching Hyejoo’s body waving underwater, until she emerged, pushing aside the wet hair from her face.  

“Like this.” She threw Chaewon a smile, and she responded with a scowl. “I’m joking.”  

“Show off.” 

“It’s called impressing you.” Hyejoo swam towards the edge of the pool, supporting her forearms on land. “It’s warm, you can jump.”  

“I don’t know how to swim, you know.”  

“Right. Then go down the stairs.” She pointed to the other side of the pool.  

Chaewon walked, while Hyejoo swam towards the other side. She stared down, and slowly, a foot entered the water, then the other, and a smile made its way to her lips. Another step down, and another, as the water reached higher and higher on her body, her skin turning warmer, her tummy shrinking, and the smile turning into a grin.  

There weren’t any more steps. Instead, the floor became flat, the water reaching Chaewon’s chest.  

“What now?” She asked, looking ahead at Hyejoo.  

“Now dive.”  

“D-Dive?”  

Hyejoo approached and held on her breath, then all her body went underwater for a couple of seconds. “Like this.”  

“Do it with me.”  

Hyejoo smiled and reached for her hands, grasping them. “On three. One, two...”  

Chaewon held her breath and followed Hyejoo after her nod, pushing her body down. She heard a splash as the water surrounded her, then it turned into a bubbling sound. Her hair flew around her face, and her body moved in slow motion. After a second, her body was pushed back up, and the cold from the outside hit her face.  

“So?” Hyejoo asked.  

“It’s... Great.” Chaewon couldn’t find a different word to describe.  

“Right? Feels so good to be underwater. Now let’s swim.” Hyejoo pulled her, but the floor seemed to be tilting.  

“Wait.” Chaewon stopped, tiptoeing back, so the water reached only her neck. “If I go on, I won’t reach the floor.”  

“I’m here, I’ll hold you so you won’t go down. When you don’t feel the floor anymore, just move your legs back and forth one at a time, that’s enough to keep your body from dropping.”  

Chaewon gulped, but Hyejoo never let go of her hand, so she would trust her. After a step, her feet couldn’t reach the floor, so she thrashed her legs hard as Hyejoo said.  

“This is it?” Chaewon asked.  

“Yep. Easy, right?”  

She smiled, and slowly, Hyejoo let go of her. Her arms moved on her own, like her legs. “Yes.”  

“Now let’s swim. Bend your body and throw your arms forward, and push to the sides. Your legs will automatically follow.”  

Chaewon nodded and observed Hyejoo first, then mimicked her moves, feeling her body moving forward. She was swimming.  

Hyejoo dove, and she could see her body underwater. After a second, she emerged in front of her. Her wet hair was perfectly pushed back, and droplets ran down her face, shining like diamonds.  

“You’re beautiful.” Chaewon found herself mumbling.  

She didn’t answer. Hyejoo submerged half her face and approached. Her eyes above water burned the depths of Chaewon’s soul with that fire she knew too well. Chaewon did the same, and they stared at each other, their bodies drawn to one another as if the water pushed them together.  

Legs circled Chaewon’s waist. She panicked, flailing her limbs.  

“It’s okay, you won’t drown,” Hyejoo said, her arms around Chaewon’s neck. “I’ve always wanted to do this.”  

Wet lips met Chaewon’s neck. She closed her eyes, leaning in the opposite direction, exposing more skin for Hyejoo to kiss and nibble on. Their bodies glued underwater, and Chaewon’s arms s around Hyejoo’s torso.  

“You are beautiful, Chaewon,” Hyejoo whispered. She bit her earlobe, then trailed kisses through her jawline so she could reach her lips.  

Chaewon  in a breath before allowing Hyejoo to deepen the kiss. It all felt so familiar, yet so new, and all the teasing from earlier was getting harder and harder to fight back. But when hands traveled to places that shouldn’t just yet, Chaewon pulled away.  

“I-I think we should go to our room.”  

Hyejoo smirked. “And I’m the one that can’t get a hold on myself.”  

“Whose hand was on whose chest?” Chaewon glared.  

“I didn’t hear any complaints.”  

“How was I supposed to speak if you were kissing me?”  

“So, you wanted to complain.” Hyejoo irked a brow.  

“Yes, I wanted to complain about the fact that we are not in our bed upstairs.”  

“Wow, Gowon. New year, new you. You keep surprising me.”  

“I bet I could surprise you even more tonight.” Chaewon bit her lip and intertwined her fingers with Hyejoo’s.  

Hyejoo’s eyes widened as she paddled to the side of the pool. “I’ll race you to the shower.”  

---  

“Another round?” Chaewon asked, eyeing the lifeless body next to her.  

Hyejoo’s eyes shot open. “Y-You serious?”  

Chaewon burst out in a loud laugh. “I’m joking.”  

“,” Hyejoo sighed and let her eyes close again. “I’m exhausted.”  

“You’re not going to smoke your precious after cigarette?”  

Hyejoo shook her head and Chaewon smiled.  

“Well, that’s a good thing, yes? Come here.” Chaewon patted her shoulder, and using the little energy Hyejoo had left, she scooted closer and snuggled on her neck.  

Not even a minute went by and Hyejoo’s breathing became slower.  

“Before you fall asleep... Thank you.” Chaewon kissed her forehead.  

“Hm? What for?”  

“Everything. Bringing me to New York, showing me and getting me to try so many new things. I’ve never been to a zoo, or ice skated, or even swam. I feel like I tried more things in the past few months than in all my life. And it’s all because of you, so, thank you for being so thoughtful.”  

“It’s because... I love you... Gowon...” Hyejoo mumbled between steady breaths, her eyes down.  

Chaewon chuckled and caressed her hair. “It was a long day. Sleep tight, love.” 

 

--- 

 

This was the first time Chaewon wished vacation would never end. She used to get bored from staying home for so long with nothing to do, to the point she took her textbooks to study for the following semester in advance.  

This time though, she wanted to stay at Hyejoo’s house for longer and keep their routine of watching Netflix and playing Nintendo Switch (as well as banging their heads against the walls with the Zelda puzzle and the Hogwarts castle they’d bought in New York). She couldn’t get bored, even though they spent their days doing the same things almost every single time.  

But it was time to go back to her dorm because the new semester was about to start.  

Chaewon clicked the door open and let herself in, expecting her roommates to be there to welcome her back, but she found Sooyoung sitting alone on the couch with the TV on.  

“Oh, Chaewonie!” She stood up to hug her. “Didn’t know you were coming back tonight.”  

“Classes are about to start, I needed to move back in eventually. Where’s Jiwoo?” Chaewon asked, letting her body hit the couch beside Sooyoung.  

“Out with Jungeun.”  

“Oh, that's great, isn't it? It means everything alright between them, you know, after everything. Right?”  

Sooyoung looked at her and opened , to close it again for a couple seconds. “Yes, they’re great! Actually, they’ve been hanging out more lately, but you didn’t notice because you were still at Hyejoo’s. Speaking of which, how was your vacation? New York, huh? Tell me more.” She wiggled her eyebrows.  

“Yes, it was a lot of fun. I never thought I’d see the city in person before. It’s so intimidating, but you get absorbed in the beauty of it.”  

“Ahhh man, I’m jealous,” Sooyoung whined.  

“You also went on a vacation with Jiwoo, silly.”  

“But I’ve never been to New York, even though we’re close.”  

“Next time, let’s go the four of us and do a double date trip!”  

Sooyoung froze, then laughed. “Y-Yes, that would be great! Hey, wanna watch a movie?”  

“Yeah, sure.”  

While Sooyoung browsed through Netflix, Chaewon couldn’t stop wondering if there was something wrong with her.  

---  

A month into the new semester and they all wanted to hit their heads on the wall. The semester was only three months long, with a two-week break in the middle of March, and of course, all the teachers think the students have no other subjects to work on aside from theirs.  

They were piled in projects and tests, and even Chaewon was having a hard time managing everything between studying, resting, and spending time with Hyejoo. She wanted to be there for her, even though she was doing fairly well so far. She was determined to study and get good grades, even if it was only because of her father. Chaewon was proud to see her fighting so hard, knowing how difficult it was for her. Even if she got depressed, she managed to get her motivation up and fight through it.  

Chaewon was on her way back home at last, after yet another study session with Hyunjin. All she wanted was a warm bath because her back was killing her from sitting so long and tensing up in concentration. Some good food would be nice as well-  

She halted as she turned the corner. She wouldn’t have done it if Jungeun and Jiwoo weren’t holding hands in front of their dorm. Jungeun smiled after something Jiwoo said, and Chaewon gulped. She knew it was wrong to pry, but she couldn’t help it. Not when Jiwoo pulled Jungeun closer and kissed her... on the lips. 

Chaewon took a step back, then another, and almost ran away, wishing her eyes were tricking her, but they weren’t. 

---

A/N: *drops the bomb and runs*