The only sounds in the air was quiet sniffling and the murmurs of Eunji comforting her. It was the first time they ever had such a deep conversation and it suddenly occurred to Eunji how much she wanted to kiss Chorong’s quivering lips as she exposed more of her vulnerabilities. It was a peculiar revelation but she couldn’t help but think it was because of her character: that maybe pretending to be a couple with Chorong had penetrated her everyday life. Perhaps. Chorong heaved a small sigh, her cheeks flushed in a light pink and her lips pursed tightly into a thin line. Her eyes were red and sad but she seemed to smile warmly at the sight of Eunji.

                 “I think I need to go for a run” Chorong said, untangling herself from Eunji’s arms, “Just to clear my head.”

                 Eunji nodded firmly, “Yeah, of course.” She pulled out her phone, waving it to show how many missed calls she had gotten. “I should probably go figure out why Bomi has been spamming me with calls.”

                 “Maybe a bee got in her room,” Chorong said, dripping with sarcasm.

                 “Maybe,” Eunji parroted. Her eyes trailed Chorong’s movements as the small girl pulled herself to her feet, wiped the half dried tears from her cheeks, and strode gracefully to the door. Her hand reached for the glass, but stopped midway. Eunji’s head tilted unconsciously, peering with a perplexed expression on her face. Chorong turned slightly, a hint of uneasiness lingering in the air.

                 “Thank you.” It was a whisper and she was gone.

.....

                 Eunji felt a wave of glee escape from her body, radiating from her smile that stretched across her face. It felt good to be trusted and possibly loved. Eunji brought her hands to her face, her eyes tightly closed as she tried to get herself to focus again. Why was she acting like this? What was making her so happy? Just when the questions began to flow, her phone vibrated violently in her hand for the millionth time, interrupting the victorious celebration.

                 “This better be good,” Eunji grumbled, decidedly ignoring the call and dragging her feet to grab a towel from the rack. She wiped the remnants of sweat on her face and strode out of the gym, looking back in disappointment at the little time she spent actually working out. She took her time going up the stairs, examining the other floors and people that bustled through the night. Suddenly, it occurred to her that it was dark and she pondered on whether it was safe for Chorong to have even gone out without her. Eunji tried to push those thoughts out of her head and easily did so when she found Bomi slumped against a door on the other end of the hall, banging her head against the wall. She was curled up halfway into a ball and her hands were clamped tightly against her ears. Eunji only stared at her judgmentally, her hands on her hips and her eyes sharp with irritation as she stopped in front of their rooms. 

                 “What the hell are you doing?” Eunji exclaimed, clearly vexed. Bomi could barely speak, but she somehow managed to choke out a few words.

“I can’t go into my room.”

                 “Why?” Eunji asked, already bored and frustrated that this was the reason she left the gym. “Is it locked?” With a sweeping motion, Eunji flung open the door to Bomi's room. Bomi cried out desperately in protest but it was too late. Eunji stood in front of the door, her jaw locked in instant shock at the sight before her. Hayoung  stared back at her, her legs straddled over Naeun’s bare waist and her shirt strung on the floor. Her hands froze on top of Naeun’s black colored undergarments, though she leaned forward to cover the rest of Naeun’s exposed body. Eunji coughed awkwardly, her fingers still gripped tightly on the door knob. They were all frozen for a couple long seconds but Eunji eventually felt herself take a step back into the hall.

                 “Er, enjoy your night kids,” she called out, pulling the door shut. Just as Hayoung began to turn back around, the door creaked open again. She scowled in exasperation when Eunji appeared again, this time with a cheeky grin on her face.

                 “And just saying but you can take all night. I’m sure Chorong won’t mind Bomi sleeping in our room for today.” Eunji winked, then rapidly shut the door before Hayoung could throw something at her. She was still giggling when she glimpsed over at Bomi, who looked sick to her stomach. She had gotten slightly closer when Eunji opened the door, but Eunji had to beckon her to come closer, charm coating her words as she coaxed the girl toward her. As Bomi worked on fighting her own acute mental shock, Eunji began to fight open her own door that was particularly difficult to push. After smoothly sliding the key into the lock, Eunji forcefully pulled upward until she heard the gears click loudly. Though Bomi continued to hesitate she finally  staggered over, her hands still over her ears. It only took Eunji a couple seconds to realize why Bomi disturbed even while merely staying in the hallway. Their room doors were barely soundproof and Naeun’s insistent was already piercing through the thin walls.

                 “Wow, these kids work fast,” Eunji sniggered, tossing the keys onto the bed when she managed to make her way inside. Bomi scampered in as quickly as she could, throwing herself onto the couch and letting her hands fall over the edges in relief.

                 “Why were you waiting so far down the hall anyway?” Eunji asked, trotting into the bathroom to check the mirror. 

She could hear Bomi smirk from her spot. “I’m not a ert like you.”

                 “You act like you’re so innocent.”

“Still not a ert,” Bomi sang joyfully. 

                 “Oh, shut up already,” Eunji spat, running out to pummel her friend in the shoulder. Bomi fell onto the ground, half wailing and half laughing her head off. Her legs kicked helplessly up at Eunji, but she eventually managed to wrestle her to the floor with her. They fought each other like that for a while, striking each other frivolously and rolling across the room with booming sounds of laughter. By the end of it all, they had their arms and legs spread out loosely and they could only sigh as they tried to catch their breaths. The subtle pain in their stomachs from the strain of cackling loitered but they still smiled at each other foolishly.

                 “Can I ask you something?” Bomi shifted, flopping onto her stomach to get a better look at Eunji’s face. Eunji peered up at her and nodded thoughtlessly, reaching to fidget with the loose strand of string in her shirt. “Do you like Chorong?”

Eunji laughed faintly, her eyes dull from the obvious question. “Of course I like her.”

                 “But I mean, like like her.”

“Like romantically?”

                 “Precisely.” Bomi tapped Eunhji's forehead expectantly though she didn’t react much to it. She was still busy tugging lightly at the thin string on the shirt, her eyes wandering across the blank ceiling.

“It’s just acting, Bomi,” she said blandly, “we aren’t actually involved romantically.”

                 Bomi seemed to stare at her in disbelief but Eunji ignored it. She knew that Bomi knew her better than anyone else in the entire world. If there was something confusing in her life, Bomi was always the first to identify it and even if she didn’t end up giving the best advice, Bomi at least took the time to care. And this time, Eunji could tell she would not see the end of it. Her teeth clenched nervously, steeled to fight back her persistent best friend.

                 “So you’re telling me you’re not attracted to her at all?”

“Nope.”

                 “Not when she blushes at you?”

“Nope.”

                 “Not when she surprises you with her hidden dominance?”

“Nope.”

                 “Not when she treats you like her own little puppy?”

“Nope.”

                 Bomi paused, an impish smirk on her face.

                 “Not even when you kiss her? When you flick her nose and feel her cheeks burning against the palm of your hand? When her fingers slide into the tangles of your hair and you hold her closer against your body?”

                 Eunji gulped. She felt her breath get knocked out of her and the room felt as if it were getting hotter. Her fists were clenched and at that point, she could only shake her head to answer Bomi's pressing descriptions. Just as she was close to breaking point, Chorong came bursting through the door, bright red earbuds dangling near her neck and sweat dotted on the sides of her face. Bomi threw down her hands in frustration, grumbling under her breath as Eunji bolted over to Chorong. She pushed Eunji away almost as if it were a second instinct, though Eunji kept following at her heels cheerfully.

                 Yeah, you definitely don’t like her, Bomi thought, rolling her eyes at her own sarcasm. She jerked Eunji away from Chorong before she could string along into the bathroom and pushed her onto the bed.

                 “We’re not done talking,” Bomi warned then freed Eunji of her grip, retreating back to a chair where she left her phone. Eunji’s mouth twisted in apprehension but she went back to making herself a space on the couch after insisting that Bomi enjoy the warmth of the bed with Chorong. Knowing her best friend’s stubbornness, Bomi gave in and began to create a wall of pillows down the middle of the mattress. Suddenly, she was thankful that Eunji had brought her own throw blanket so she wouldn’t have to worry about sharing the sheets with Chorong alone.

                 “You’re staying the night?” Chorong asked Bomi, now comfortably changed in her pajamas. 

Eunji laughed, suddenly remembering the events leading up to Bomi's sleepover. “Her roommates were being a bit disruptive.”

                 “I guess since they’re basically high schoolers they’re just used to being loud.” Chorong remarked thoughtfully. She had now wandered back to the bathroom to pick up her toothbrush, turning on the water for a couple seconds to wet the bristles and apply the toothpaste. Meanwhile, Eunji was fighting back laughter and mocking the horrified Bomi.

                 “In fact, I thought I heard them playing some kind of game while I was passing by. They were screaming each others name and saying to go fa – oh. Oh.” Chorong stopped, her face suddenly all too knowing. It only took a glimpse of Eunji’s eyebrows that wiggled in mocking playfulness for Chorong to finally put the pieces together.

                 “Oh my god.”

A.N. : I added some Hana (and kind of Eunmi) this chapter... Please comment on what you think so far!