“Joohyun unnie!”

Someone familiar called her name, Joohyun turned her head to the voice, smiling when she saw one of her favourite people running to her.

“Seulgi-ya, what’s wrong? You looked like you just won the lottery.” Seulgi has her hands on her knees, panting because of the running. Joohyun caressed her back tenderly to signal her it’s okay to take a breath first.

“You won’t believe me unnie. I’m so happy right now!”

Suddenly Seulgi hugged Joohyun so tight, Joohyun become stiffed of the actions but soon relaxed because this is the bear hug, one that Seulgi hasn’t done to her in the last month.

“Thank you unnie.. Thank you for introducing me to the choir group.”

“Mm, sure yeah.”

Seulgi release her hug, now holding Joohyun’s hands with some unknown emotion in her eyes.

“Do you remember Wendy?”

“One of your choir team right?”

“Yes! The lead singer! I have a date with her, can you believe it unnie?”

Joohyun’s face fell for a second but she covered it well, delivering a bright smile to whatever the next sentence is.

Joohyun is in her 4th year of university, soon to be graduating and get her Bachelor title of Information and Technology. Her major made her to always bring her laptop almost everywhere, she refused to be called a geek or nerd. Being a programmer doesn’t mean to be a shut in, she can do her work mobile, as long as there are internet and her laptop, everywhere.

While Seulgi is in her 2nd year, same major with Joohyun, plus Joohyun’s dorm mate. Seulgi, despite her bright, kind and nice personality, quite an introvert and a homebody. Unless of course Joohyun dragged her out of her world and introduce her to another happy world.

Seulgi looked at herself in the mirror while chanting herself a mantra,

“You can do this Seulgi, you can go for a date, Joohyun unnie even happy about it,” She stopped for a bit, “there is no reason for still holding on, you can let go now, stop all this one side admiration and go for it!”

She washed her face then look in the mirror again to see her own eyes filled with determination.

--

It was one fine sunny day, the sun shone so brightly that make Joohyun stopped her tracks and decided to go inside of the nearest café. She was in her 2nd year of university, back from her friend’s place after submitting a so-called group projects.

“So much after one hell of a good teamwork, I need some cold drinks at least” Joohyun said to herself that day. She just needed a little appreciation for her hard work. She’s scanning the menu above the cute-bubbly-girl at the register, contemplating if she needs to buy a cake too. A melodious voice interrupted her from the thinking,

“Hello there! There’s a promo today for college students! You can buy one carrot cake at the display and get one free drink from this list”, said the bubbly girl whose name tag ‘Wendy’ to her. Joohyun fixed her gaze to the girl, looked at her features, how her eyes went twinkling matched with her smile so bright making her cheekbones rose up and how that sight somehow make Joohyun feels.. hungry.

That cheek like a steamed bun, is it filled with red beans, why it’s so red…

Joohyun random thoughts for the girl. The girl named Wendy started fidgeting as her customer looking at her with such an intense gaze.

Did my voice so loud again? Is she going to shout back at me? Why she’s looking at me with a gaze like that, oh no no no don’t shout at me-

Wendy decided to break the customer gaze,

“uhm miss?”

Joohyun snapped from her intense gaze of the steamed bun cheek, answer randomly,

“Do you have red beans steamed buns?”

Wendy who is confused right now as the absurd question of the customer, try to recall if the store selling some. She just worked for 2 months, I don’t think we’ve ever selling buns here…

“Nevermind, I’ll take that promo instead.”

“Uh okay, and here’s the list of free drinks you can choose miss”, Wendy back to her selling mode.

“Which one you preferred?”, Joohyun asked Wendy.

“If you like coffee, I recommend this Iced Caramel Macchiato, this one is our best seller!”

“Why do you think I like coffee?”, Joohyun randomly blurted out her thoughts.

“Eh, I thought.. Since you looked like need one..”

“I’ll take the Iced Ovaltine Macchiato, less sugar”

Wendy input the order, asking the customer to pay by cash or card, and asking the one thing that Wendy wants to know since this customer entering the shop,

“And on whose name this order is?”

“Joohyun.”

Joohyun.. Wendy repeated the name inside her head slowly, keeping a smile breaking from her lips as how the name is as beautiful as the appearance.

--

Kang Seulgi, one who try following her dream, to make the greatest game ever. Instead of entering a multimedia technology university overseas, she entered the Information & Technology major, just because the people around her slapping her with some real words, “making games is not a steady job!”
Nonetheless, her passion for computer still made her choose this path, a path where she met one of the most beautiful person in her life, named Bae Joohyun.

She met Joohyun at the orientation, as one of the senior who is in charge of her group, Joohyun is so kind, not like the other sunbae. Instead of pranking and bullying the new students, she truly teach and tell the hardship in the major Seulgi has chosen. After one week orientation process, Seulgi learned that Joohyun is already in her 3rd year, a role model, has the highest GPA in the major, chic, cool, beautiful, and has many admirers.

Seulgi remember at the third day where all the new student has to arrive early in 6AM, she didn’t even have time to eat breakfast resulted she looked paler than usual. Joohyun approached her silently in the morning, giving her some candies while whispering, “Eat those”. Seulgi heart was fluttering so much in the morning, even when she saw the kind gesture not exclusive only for her, but for some other students too.

It was lunch time, in spite of it’s already the third day of her orientation, Seulgi still find it hard to make some friends. Although the purpose of this mass gathering was to know each other, not only in our department but in other departments too, Seulgi can’t find it comfortable to just say hi to new people. She can already see around her, not boys, not girls, being flirty with each other, it made her uncomfortable and so she sneaked out and found another place to eat peacefully.

“Hey you, uhm Seulgi right?”, Seulgi heard a familiar voice called to her.

“O-Oh, J-Joohyun sunbae!”

“Have you finished your meal?” Joohyun looked at the lunch box that Seulgi holding.

“H-Half of it, yes..” Seulgi answered avoiding Joohyun’s gaze.

“Why you are here? You’re supposed to be in the mixed gathering you know, get to know each other.”
Seulgi kept quiet at the question, Joohyun saw this and try to steer the conversation other way smoothly.

“But yeah, too many people, too crowded, we can’t eat peacefully right Seulgi?”

“Y-Yes Joohyun sunbae”

Joohyun smiled, Seulgi is so cute.
Seulgi never felt so nervous as she was feeling at that moment, how Joohyun’s smile made her heart melt, and how the proximity between them, not to mention, just the two of them here, eating lunch together, is like a precious gift for Seulgi.

“Why do you eat here, sunbae?”

Joohyun tilted her head, “Hmm, too eat peacefully of course!”

“Ah, s-should I move to another place sunbae?” Seulgi half wrapping her lunch box when Joohyun stopped her, “No no, stay, it’s ok, I don’t bite”, the older laughed.

“Besides, isn’t it lonely eating by yourself? So don’t be awkward at each other, come on we have met for 3 days right? Am I a bad sunbae?”

“No no no no!” Seulgi had her head snapping left and right like a broken doll, panicked rise in her face, she genuinely thought her presence will disturb her sunbae peace, but not in the deepest of her mind, she expected her sunbae answering in a cute way like this.

That afternoon, Seulgi spent one of her precious moments ever in her life with Joohyun. Talking, or rather answering every question that Joohyun asked her. Joohyun is indeed a woman that everybody wants. She has beauty, inside out.

“You seems a good girl Seulgi. You said your home is kind of far from this place right? I just moved into a new apartment, it still has one empty room. Do you want to be my roommate? You know to ease up the rent. It’s not far-”

Seulgi barely heard what Joohyun said at the rest of the afternoon. Just the thought of being roommate with Joohyun made Seulgi can’t function properly.

“W-Why sunbae? You barely know me..”

Joohyun smiled again, “I know how to differentiate a good or a bad one Seulgi. I’ve told you right, you seems like a good girl. So now tell me, are you a bad girl? A serial killer perhaps?”

Seulgi widen her eyes, “No sunbae, no, I swear to whatever God is there, I’m not a serial killer!”

“Good then”, Joohyun stands up first, ruffling Seulgi’s head. “I’m gonna go first, don’t be late to assembly point later ok?”

Seulgi was left speechless.

“Oh God… Is this what they called love..?”

--

“Joohyun! Order on behalf of Joohyun!”

“Ah, let me deliver it” Wendy initiated, taking the usual order for the older girl. It has been 6 months since Joohyun stepped into the café and being a regular there. Wendy as an overly nice and always giving her extra at work, is an observant worker, so when she saw the older girl all focused with her laptop, with earphones in both her ear, Wendy just knew what to do.
Holding the iced Ovaltine Macchiato with careful steps towards the older girl, Wendy couldn’t help but peeked at Joohyun’s laptop screen.

“Hi! This is your order!” Wendy put the order in Joohyun’s table. The latter said thank you with a small guilty smile, as this is not the first time she got her order delivered instead of taking it from the counter.

“You’re so kind Wendy.”

“Not a problem, besides it’s not too crowded today.”

Wendy initiated took a seat beside Joohyun.

“Yes..?” Joohyun paid attention to the girl beside her, putting her laptop aside.

“Uhm, I’m sorry but I kind of looked at what you’re doing and are you a student of Seoul University?”

Joohyun nodded answering the question silently, probing the younger to ask more.

“Is it hard entering that university? I mean I had applied and following the process, but you know, it almost due time for interview screening process and some tips from insider might help me..”

Joohyun thinking of something, “What method did you use for applying? And which course you’re applying?”

“Business and Economy major, I did apply from my school, I mean they collect just a few students and well you know.”

“Ah, have you got any recommendations support letter?”

“I’m sorry what?”

“Tell me your full name that you used for applying and give me your number”, Joohyun handed her laptop to Wendy. Wendy get confused from the sudden action, but then obeying the older girl and started typing her name.

“Can you end your shift right now? I’m going to help you if you want”

“OH YES YES, let me ask my manager!”, Wendy handed back the laptop, sprinting towards the back of the kitchen. Not for so long, she’s back in her casual attire. A blue ripped jeans with a white stripe shirt, oh how much Joohyun loves stripes Wendy wouldn’t want to know. Joohyun gestured the younger should sit beside her, so Joohyun can help her for her application.