It was a lazy early afternoon spent with a couple classes and sleep. The breeze was softer at school and Chorong was more than glad that they were back. Tucked away safely in their dorm, she sipped calmly at her drink, staring out the window and wondering how much longer Eunji would be asleep. She couldn’t help but reminisce on the night before, giggling to herself as she remembered Eunji's flirtatious mood.

                        It was just after Eunji and Namjoo had finished discussing what would occur next. After agreeing to call their parents, the two sisters spent a couple hours talking it out on the phone though there were some emotional outbursts in the process. Chorong stayed quiet and tried to concentrate on her work in her own room, but it wasn’t until Eunji had finally come out with the solution that the dorm was at peace. Exhausted, she resided on the couch, unaware of Chorong's presence from down the hall.

                        “Hey, can we talk?” Chorong asked softly, sitting next to Eunji as she spoke. Namjoo was in the other room, unpacking her things in her own fashion. Eunji stared up blankly at her for a second but broke into a bright grin, pulling her closer and smiling against her skin.

“I think Namjoo has to stay with us until she’s ready to go back home.” Eunji paused to check Chorong's expression. “Is that okay?”

                        “She can stay as long as she wants.”

                        Eunji squeezed her hand a little tighter, then leaned in to kiss her gently, her voice sweet and somewhat filled with guilt as she thanked her. They remained that way for a while, cuddling on the couch and trying to lose themselves in the moment until Chorong began to squirm slightly. Eunji glanced over at her, loosening her grip to face her.

                        “It’s getting late.” Chorong whispered, gesturing to the clock with the small movement of her chin. Eunji waited for a while, letting time drag before nodding hesitantly. Her arms fell slowly to her sides, her eyes watching intently as Chorong got up from the couch. She had just taken a couple steps toward her room when she heard the light padding of Eunji's feet following her. Chorong stopped, waited for the sound of her steps to halt, then started moving again. Unsurprisingly, she could feel the tingle against her back as Eunji continued to trail behind her. Irritated but half-anticipating Eunji's immature game, Chorong purled around to stare at her, her eyes slanted menacingly.

                        “Why are you following me?”

                        Eunji blinked innocently, shrugging as a sly smile crawled up her lips. “I like to follow my dreams.” Much to Chorong's dismay, Eunji's grin only grew wider, too charming to even berate.

                        “You’re so annoying.”

“I know.”

                        A loud buzzing noise began to ring from Chorong's side and she scampered to check the messages that had interrupted her thoughts.

Bomi: I hear Namjoo is staying in your dorm.
Chorong: She is.

Bomi: Mind if I stop by to see her later tonight?

Chorong: I don’t see why not as long as Eunji and Namjoo are fine with it too.

Bomi: Well I’m assuming your girlfriend is asleep right now and I really don’t care what she thinks so I guess I’ll see you later!

Chorong: Yeah… Maybe I’ll tell Hayoung and Naeun to come over too.

Bomi: I’ll ask Hayoung for you. She might have something.

Chorong: ok.

                        She set her phone down, then proceeded to trot over to her room, ready to wake up Eunji so she could tell her of the spontaneous hangout they would be hosting.

FIVE HOURS LATER…

“Did you buy the beer?”

                        “Yes.”

“And the chips?”

                        “Yes.”

“Ice cream?”

                        “Yes. Don’t worry. I got everything.” Eunji whined, swinging her arms around Chorong's shoulders. Chorong set down the spatula she was holding and stared at her skeptically, her hands now locked on her hips.

                        “Did you get the extra spoon?”

                        Eunji felt her heart drop. The spoon. They had always been short a spoon when they hung out at their dorm which typically resulted in one pair sharing the limited utensil. It had always been Chorong who was willing to let Eunji use her spoon, but Eunji had a sinking feeling that that would not be the case this time.

                        “I’ll go get the spoon right now!” Eunji shouted, desperate to make up for her mistake. But of course, it was too late. Chorong had her by the collar and was dragging her back, her arms flailing to grasp the corner of their kitchen counter.

“You’ll just have to use your hands tonight.”

                        Eunji sighed and nodded obediently. Unable to stay still, she figured that there had to be something she could assist with until their friends arrived. She peered over at Chorong curiously, tapping her back as she said, “Is there anything I can help with?”

                        “Can you cut the peaches?” Chorong picked up a knife from their dish rack and pointed it to Eunji, giggling at Eunji's horrified expression.

                        “Rong, that’s dangerous. Don’t hand it to me like that.” Eunji quickly pulled the sharp tool from Chorong's hand and safely placed it at their side table, distancing herself jokingly. Eunji had found that Chorong was strangely reckless in the kitchen or the car, a mechanism that she exaggerated after finding that Eunji was greatly pestered by it.

                        “Are the peaches in the second drawer?” Eunji asked, tugging at the refrigerator door. The shallow light beamed against her face as she peered around the shelves, a couple of the plastic bags to check its contents. “Never mind, I see it!” Eunji called out. Her hand shot to the drawer that she had mentioned before, jerking it open and hearing the sound of plastic drop onto the floor. She stared back to where the noise sounded, startled by the unfamiliar noise.
                        “Oh my god, Eunji.” Chorong bent over to pick up the mysterious object that she dropped from one of the shelves and was now wearing an expression of exasperation when Eunji finally realized what had happened. “This is what I mean by you misplacing everything.”

                        Eunji chuckled nervously, stretching out her hand to receive a slim TV remote control. Much like the time Chorong had discovered a candle in the sink or a tube of toothpaste on their living room floor, Eunji's forgetfulness never failed to leave her in awe.

                        “How did that even get there?”

“I got a snack while watching TV?” Eunji tried, grasping the bag of peaches in her hand and closing the fridge before she could forget.

                        “But why- you know what? Never mind. Just go cut the peaches” Chorong brushed away Eunji's playful kisses and went back to mixing the pot of stew she was cooking, trying very hard not to react when Eunji began making silly faces at her. She couldn’t help but fall in love with Eunji a little bit more every second she was with her. She had thought it before, but simply watching the light gleam off of Eunji's soft facial features as she neatly placed the slices of fruit onto the plate made her heart beat faster.

                        “Why are you staring at me, Rong?” Eunji teased, noticing that Chorong's eyes were directed at one place for too long. Chorong blushed, then turned away to tend to the other ingredients of their meal, not daring to meet Eunji's taunting. But before Eunji could do much else, there was a loud knocking on their door. Chorong let out a breath of relief, striding over to the entrance as quickly as she could.

                        “Hey Chorong!” Bomi held up a bag of small foods that she picked up and entered the dorm, making a beeline for their couch before even acknowledging Eunji.

                        “Hey to you too.” Eunji scowled and brought the plate of peaches to her friend, plopping down next to her in the process. She figured Chorong would joing them soon enough if she spotted Eunji taking a break.

                        “Where’s Namjoo?” Bomi asked, now strolling around their dorm with one of the peaches dangling from . As if she had heard her own name being called for, Namjoo poked her head out from her room, her hands covering her eyes as she walked out into the open.

                        “Is it safe for me to go out?”

                        Bomi chuckled in confusion, tearing her hands away from her face. “What do you mean Namjoo?” They greeted each other accordingly with the subtle exchange of smiles in that moment, but Namjoo was quick to answer Bomi's lingering question.

                        “My sister and her girlfriend are more intimate than you think.”

                        Bomi burst out into laughter as Eunji's previous scowl only grew larger. Chorong, who was listening from afar, had dropped the cup she was holding and now hustled to clean up the liquid pooled up at her feet.

                        “You have no idea.” Bomi winked, shuffling away from Eunji who was getting ready to pounce on her friend. The three eventually settled down when Naeun entered the dorm next, shy and quiet as she introduced herself. Chorong took the chance to join the rest of the girls, staying close to Naeun so they could both adjust to the added amount of volume that resulted from Namjoo's presence.

                        “When is Hayoung coming?” Naeun inquired, her voice just loud enough for the others to hear. Eunji peered curiously at her, then looked around the table, her fork swinging in the air absently

                        “Did she say she’s coming?” Eunji asked, glancing between Bomi and Chorong. The air had suddenly become uncomfortable as if Naeun had brought up an untouched topic that was meant to be ignored. Chorong shifted in her seat, scooting closer to Naeun as she avoided any eye contact. What was happening?

                        “She said she would be here.” Bomi said tentatively. Her eyes hovered over Namjoo for a second, who was staring nonchalantly down at the table. It was suffocating to watch but Chorong kept silent, letting the conversation switch gears and lighten up the atmosphere again. They brought out the food and Hayoung was still not there. They brought out dessert and Hayoung was still not there. They chatted for a while with beers opened up after a toast to their friendship and Hayoung was still not there. The sun fell and Chorong finally caught Naeun alone near the hallway to their bathroom.

                        “Are you okay without Hayoung here and all?” Chorong murmured, staring into Naeun's eyes.

“She texted me right now that she would be late.”

                        “Oh. That’s good.” Chorong said, trying to smile. Naeun returned the gesture, sighed, and went back to the table. Chorong supposed that she would trust her to be fine and was about to follow her back when Eunji came up behind her, pulling her into the bathroom before she could protest.

                        “What are you doing?”
“I wanted some time alone.” Eunji whispered, pressing Chorong back against the door. Chorong smiled warmly but pushed her off, straightening her shirt and rearranging her hair in the mirror. Perhaps this was a good opportunity to ask.

                        “I have a question.” Chorong began slowly, watching Eunji from the reflection of the mirror. Eunji nodded hesitantly, half knowing what was coming next and unsure if she was ready at all to answer it. “Is there a problem between Hayoung and Namjoo?”

“I… I don’t know what to tell you.” Eunji stammered, the strands of Chorong's hair as she thought.

                        “Tell me the truth.” Chorong whispered, turning around to gaze at Eunji's eyes. She twitched a while, knowing that it would be fine to trust Chorong with the truth that she would eventually learn but also curious as to how far Chorong would go to uncover it herself.

                        “Let me kiss you.”

“What?”

                        “Let me kiss you and I’ll tell you.”

                        “Eunj-” Chorong started but was cut off by Eunji's lips. It was an impatient passion that rooted from her kiss, her tongue traveling into and the taste of alcohol stinging in a hasty reminder. Chorong's hands began to slide up her neck, feeling for the knots in her hair and clutching tightly to stop Eunji from diving deeper into her. She could feel her lips melting under Eunji's touch, the heat between them only growing as Eunji gently pressed her against the sink. Her fingers burned on Chorong's waist as they slowly traveled underneath her shirt. Chorong resisted the urge to let her continue, tearing herself away and letting her mind clear rapidly.

                        “There are people outside.”

                        Eunji simply smiled as if nothing had happened and backed away onto the toilet seat, perky after receiving her share of intimacy. She stared down at her fingernails, waiting for Chorong to ask again. Here she goes.

                        “So aren’t you going to tell me?”

Eunji sighed, then pulled Chorong between her legs, ignoring the cynical expression on her face when she pressed another kiss on her hand. “They used to date.”

                        “Namjoo and Hayoung?”

                        “Yes. They didn’t leave off on very good terms so there’s still a lot of unresolved air between them.” Eunji wavered for a moment, standing up from her temporary seat, “Will Naeun be okay?”

                        “I hope so.” Chorong frowned, thoughts swarming with concern over her shy friend. She cared about Naeun like she was her own little sister and frankly, it worried her that she would have to go through her first relationship problem in less than a few hours. Eunji noticed her distress and reached over to embrace her again, this time a little less needy and more comforting. It felt good to have someone to lean on and Chorong accepted it gratefully, tucking her head under Eunji's chin.

                        “Hey, you know what will cheer you up?” Eunji whispered, a tinge of mischief in her tone. Chorong lifted her head a little instead of answering, too tired to even question her tricks.

                        “If you look here…” Eunji roughly turned her to stare into the mirror, a broad grin stretched on her face as she gazed lovingly at Chorong from behind. “... you’ll see the prettiest girl on earth.”

                        “You've got to be kidding me.” Chorong muttered, indifferent as she shoved Eunji backward into the wall. “If you’re trying to flatter me, try not to use cheesy pickup lines.”

“But that’s the Jung Eunji style!” Eunji complained, trailing behind her as she jerked open the bathroom door and made her way out. “I know you love it, Rong!”

                        Chorong could feel her face flush a brilliant scarlet: if only Eunji were wrong about that...

A.N. : Next chapter will be heavier in terms of HaJoo/HaNa problems but I'm still going to try to keep the focus on EunRong :) As always, leave any comments if you have any additional thoughts!