“Yes, yes, mom.”

 

She groans a little as she listened to her mom on the other line.

 

“I’m okay. My life’s okay, mother.”

 

She digs into her pocket for her apartment keys.

 

“Excuse me, I do have friends! No, I don’t have a boyfriend. Jesus—“

 

She pauses halfway through putting her keys in.

 

“Jesus—I will not speak to you about this! Bye, mom. Love you.”

 

Another groan.

 

Son Seungwan was not really Miss Congeniality like how her friends would put it. More often than not, she finds herself needing to exert more effort to get through her everyday life which bustled with people. It was unavoidable; she was a teacher after all; and she was practically trained to smile and find her way around teenaged kids everyday (and let’s admit it—they are the hardest to deal with).

 

So it should come as a surprise that she was not at least in small-talk terms with her next door neighbor.

 

To her defense, this was the neighbor she had yet to see, or whose scent she had yet to get a whiff of. So yeah, it was a given that this was their social status.

 

She does know her name though. According to the old lady owning their cozy two-story, two-yard-doorstepped apartment complex, her name is Kang Seulgi and she works for an animation studio so she’s barely around—

 

—but lately she did leave strange little traces of herself within the confines of the four yards of their porches combined, like little flower petals, styrofoam bits, leaves, and sometimes (just sometimes anyway) pastry crumbs that would occasionally be brought by the wind around Seungwan’s porch and on her mat.

 

The bits of litter never really bothered Seungwan. She was rather passive—the type who’d sweep those bits into a pan and into the bin just down by the parking lot. However, one particular stressful school week of preparations for an event drained her usual patience to a staggering twenty percent. It’s Career Week and the school was inviting a lot of companies over Monday of the next week.

 

At the sight of (suddenly obnoxiously pink) styrofoam bits, she lazily brushes her feet along the rough concrete and “effectively” sweeps the bits on Seulgi’s side of the porch. The first time she did this was that week’s very tiring Monday. The next, a socially lousy Tuesday, and the last an especially exhausting Wednesday.

 

What is she doing with all these styrofoam bits?

 

The next day, a spectacularly stressful Thursday, Seungwan surprisingly did not have to “sweep” anything back where they belong. Their combined porch was clean, and a note on her door stuck out like the little orange post-it that it was.

 

I’m really, really sorry about the mess!

 

Right next to the exclamation point was a very cute (and really impressive) doodle of cuddly bear.

 

Seungwan, on the peak of this stressful week, finds her lips at least twitching to a smile. Deep in her exhausted mind, a slumbering seed of curiosity was planted: maybe she was a little boggled with the thought of at least be in greeting terms with the strange Kang Seulgi.

 

She was probably a kid fresh out of animation school with fat glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose.

 

Cute. Seungwan thought to herself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The weekend rolled around and the first day of Career Week came like cubes of ice out of a bag and poured right down the entire faculty’s heads.

 

Seungwan and her colleagues, despite all the initial work they had to do for preparations the last week, were tasked to keep the event properly moderated. On this particular day, Sooyoung and Yeri were assigned at registration.

 

Sooyoung claimed Company Registration for herself, shamelessly admitting she was on a mission to ogle company booth representatives, while Yeri and Seungwan were left to manage Student Registration, which was honestly a longer, longer queue.

 

Seungwan all but groans and unceremoniously lands her head on the table in her exhaustion during their downtime.

 

“You okay there, short stuff?”

 

Sooyoung  didn’t sound very concerned with that little laugh that followed. Yeri nudges her and mutters something about there being two short and very, veryexhausted people.

 

“How about you take Student Registration tomorrow? How does that sound?” Seungwan groans without lifting her head, voice muffled by her splayed hair.

 

“No, thank you. These company geeks may be boring but, boy, have I found an interesting one.”

 

Seungwan’s ears were suddenly filled with Yeri and Sooyoung‘s school girl giggling. She rolls her eyes. Not that they can see that.

 

“Well, good for you,” Seungwan mumbles.

 

“And that person happened to have been looking this way for like as many times Red Velvet said the word dumb in under three minutes,” Yeri adds.

 

“Good for you, too,” Seungwan mutters and comically lifts a hand to give Yeri the laziest love gun, all the while keeping her face flat on the reception desk.

 

“Lift that head, Seungwan. You’re missing out on this view.”

 

“Right.”

 

“No, we mean it. Their studio’s booth is like smack in the middle of the fair grounds.”

 

“Mhm.”

 

“I wonder how busy that y bear will be all week?” Sooyoung purrs a little, earning her a smack on the shoulder from Yeri. Nonetheless, she actually managed to get Seungwan to lift her head.

 

“You’re disgusting,” Seungwan says with a grimace. “And y bear? Really?”

 

This time, both Yeri and Sooyoung nod a little to enthusiastically.

 

“See for yourself,” Yeri nudges her head a little towards the booths, urging Seungwan to actually look.

 

Seungwan rolls her eyes again, but looks ahead anyway. Well, what was there to see? The company booths were bustling with life with all sorts of boring. There were like a bunch of bland men in suits, women who would seem to work like the world wasn’t their business, men who looked like they haven’t even shaken any girl’s hand, and—

 

—well.

 

 

That.

 

That woman by the digital arts booths, a few yards in front of the reception desk—that was a different story.

 

That was indeed one y bear.

 

She does look like the artist type. Plain white shirt that barely covered that injustice of an abdominal region, toned tan arms, form-fitting ripped jeans, hipster sneakers and a dazzling smile she’d occasionally offer a few student applicants here and there.

 

Wow.

 

“We know,” both Sooyoung and Yeri agree. Seungwan wasn’t even aware she said that out loud.

 

This was shameless staring and she has not done this since her first day of teaching. She gulps, and attempts to save her dignity unlike Yeri and Sooyoung.

 

Just as Seungwan was about to rip her eyes off of “y bear”, the other girl lifts her head from a sheet of paper she was reviewing and glances over their direction, catching Seungwan’s gaze for only a second or two before her lips shyly curve into a smile and bows her head enough to be covered by her long dark hair.

 

Yeri yelps and involuntarily hits Seungwan with a flailing hand before the latter could even be given a moment to react to the smile she had just gotten.

 

“I saw that! I saw that—did you see that?” Yeri exclaims in what she would probably call discreet fangirling.

 

“Seungwan, you bib magnet! I’ve been trying to hook and reel that the entire morning!” Sooyoung playfully nudges Seungwan, and seriously what was with all the hitting?

 

Other than the smile however, the rest of the day went by with all parties busy. Seungwan excused herself for a few minutes for a much needed bathroom break. When she got back to the reception desk, most of the company booths were either packed up or packing up. She moves to her chair and only then did she realize that Yeri and Sooyoung were eyeing her and smiling at her like her non-existent fiancée was about to propose to her via ring-in-the-cake.

 

“What?”

 

“So have you met Lulu?” Yeri asks, a little too smiley for Seungwan’s liking, and who was Lulu?

 

“Lulu?”

 

Yeri points at a small and rather familiar-looking plushie bear sitting on her side of the desk. Other than why there was a bear on her desk side, she also wondered where she saw this bear from.

 

“Um. Hi, Lulu?” At this point, Seungwan’s system could care less about basic logic and proper responses.

 

Sooyoung very slowly nudges “Lulu” closer to Seungwan. “Lulu is y bear’s gift. She wanted to give it to you in person, but alas! Your bladder has spectacular timing!”

 

I mean, sure Lulu was apparently the company mascot, but Seungwan was starting to wonder if y bear actually owned the company. I mean, have you seen her?

 

She was definitely a bear.

 

A really hot one.

 

Okay, now the last thought sounded a lot like Sooyoung.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great.

 

Not knowing her name was the first thing that hit Seungwan the moment she realized she was drenched in rain, waiting for the bus, cold under a shed, and... well, drenched in rain.

 

She could curse a lot of things considering the circumstances she was under at the moment, but hey, not knowing y bear’s name was becoming a bother because (yes) “y bear” was starting to sound ridiculous.

 

The bus door dings open and only then did Seungwan realize that the bus was actually already there. Huh, too many thoughts in a day. She was remotely aware that this has not happened in a while.

 

She shrugs the silliness off with a smile and a shake of her head before stepping out of the shed and into the bus, clutching Lulu close to her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seungwan pushes her apartment door open, not paying any mind to the porch, messy or not.

 

That night, she took a shower, attempted to pat the drenched Lulu dry, reviewed her lesson objectives for the following week, and ended up leaving Lulu and the two towels she used to try and pat it dry out in the porch for better results. She debated on it for a moment, thinking maybe it wasn’t a good idea, but remembering her neighbor was too busy to be home and not to mention harmlessly strange, she shrugs and leaves Lulu and said towels there anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If she thought the bits of every tiny thing possible were strange finds on their porch, seeing Lulu carefully tucked in a (towel) makeshift blanket and (another towel) pillow was probably the strangest.

 

In her head she feels a tiny bridge connecting two prominent thoughts in her head, but for now she did not pay it any heed as she found herself guffawing in laughter.

 

Well, none of the things she left out in the porch would dry but it was okay maybe. Her past two days have been interesting anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seungwan does not know why moving in the same boring reception desk job for the same exact Career Week job fair was suddenly very hard.

 

Occasionally, there would be more students pouring in and she doesn’t know why it’s suddenly something she found very relieving.

 

Maybe because it gave her less time to be bothered whether a certain cutie across the floor from her was looking her way. Not that Yeri and Sooyoung weren’t there to remind her.

 

Moments pass and Seungwan knew she was now in the dreaded slow hour as one last student came to sign up and disappear in the sea of applicants.

 

“So, when will you be saying hi to her?”

 

Sooyoung can be insufferable sometimes.

 

“Um. Why would I say hi?”

 

“Yeri and I gave you a lot of time, you know. So, we came to the conclusion that we’ll do it for you—“

 

Seungwan turns to Sooyoung at breakneck speed. Really, she thought she break something at how fast she turned, looking like she needed to be swallowed by the earth whole this instant.

 

Panic began to rise up well beyond her head as she saw Yeri return to her seat. When did she even leave?

 

“Oh, God please tell me you didn’t actually go to her.”

 

“But I did. You’re taking too long.”

 

“I can talk to her on my own terms!”

 

“You’d never,” Sooyoung challenges.

 

“I can and I will!”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“Yes so.”

 

“Good, because she’s on her way here—“

 

“—wait what? But I’m—I need to—I mean—I swear. I will kill you, Kim Yerim—“

 

Seungwan dared not to lift her gaze the slightest. She nearly rips the registration forms as she tried her best to look very busy browsing through very interesting figures. Yeah, right. They were a bunch of names.

 

“Uh, hi.”

 

Great, her voice sounds adorable, too. Seungwan fought the urge to groan at her own thoughts.

 

“Hi, um—may I sit here?”

 

Seungwan finally looks up with much difficulty. She spares the other girl a second’s glance and lowers her gaze back down, pretending to look for anywhere the other girl may sit. I mean, it’s not like there are any more available seat—

 

Of course.

 

Of course, Yeri and Sooyoung would be gone in an instant.

 

Of effin’ course.

 

“Uh, sure, sure.”

 

Seungwan sure hoped she didn’t just squeak that out. She could see the other girl move to sit beside her, and as soon as she’s seated, there was just an eternity of silence—

 

Or maybe a minute or so. She was just being dramatic.

 

“I hope I didn’t bother you with the bear,” someone finally says (an eternity later).

 

Seungwan could tell the other girl was looking at her.

 

“Oh, I—it’s okay. It actually made my day yesterday. So, thank you.”

 

She heard her breathe this time, and how she wished she didn’t turn to look, because there she was, beaming at her with that blinding smile.

 

“Your friend told me you were having a bad day. Something about life problems? I was worried.”

 

“Did she now?”

 

Yeri, that demon. Seungwan hoped it wasn’t some overly dramatic lie, else she’d shoot herself with that toy company’s ping pong cannon.

 

“Hey, um—“ she reached behind her neck, eyes lifting back up to meet Seungwan’s, “—I was hoping to give more than a company token, but I didn’t have anything other than Lulu yesterday.”

 

Is she for real?

 

“So, you know—I mean,” a blink and a frustrated sigh later, she looks back up at Seungwan with a hopeful gaze, “—could I make it up to you today? I—could invite you for coffee and then offer you a ride home maybe?”

 

Seungwan knew that for all the smarts her friends and family would claim she had, she could be dumb sometimes, because she couldn’t say anything. Not. A. Single. Word.

 

Her silence seemed to have alarmed the other girl. She quickly waves a hand to attempt to diffuse the huge fat awkwardness settling between them.

 

“I’m sorry! I think I kind of surprised you with that. I swear I’m not a murderer!”

 

Seungwan holds back her amused smile by pursing her lips together. The other girl looked like she wouldn’t even be able to hurt a fly.

 

“Don’t worry. I don’t think you are a murderer either.”

 

She visibly relaxes again, and holds out her hand.

 

“I’m Seulgi.”

 

Oh, look at that. How many Seulgi’s in this side of South Korea are there?

 

“Seungwan,” Seungwan answers as she takes Seulgi’s hand. Gosh, that sounded better and easier to think of than “y bear”.

 

“I know,” Seulgi chuckles. “Yeri, told me. Pretty name.”

 

Of course. Yeri, that child of satan.

 

“So—is that a yes?”

 

Seungwan nods, and she thought Seulgi’s smile couldn’t get any brighter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a bunch of hoots and rowdy catcalls (Seungwan knew were obviously from Sooyoung and Yeri who were probably camping out in the parking lot), she was safely tucked in the passenger seat of Seulgi’s Genesis.

 

As she waited for Seulgi to get in the car, she takes notice of another smaller Lulu dangling on the rear view mirror. She breathes in deep at the thought that this smaller Lulu was achingly familiar.

 

“I forgot to ask you,” Seulgi starts as she finally settles on the driver’s seat and brings the engine to life. “Do you even like coffee at all?”

 

“Yeah, I like coffee.”

 

“You only like coffee?” Seulgi asks, feigning offense, making Seungwan smile big for the nth time today.

 

“Fine. I love coffee,” Seungwan answers with an eye roll.

 

“Good, because we’re getting crazy good coffee.”

 

“I feel like you just said that with capital letters.”

 

“Why,” Seulgi drives out of the lot, smile growing more playful, “mademoiselle, it was indeed said with conviction.”

 

Seungwan laughs at Seulgi’s antics. She decides at that minute that she liked Seulgi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It turns out what she meant by “crazy good” coffee was actually Crazy Good Coffee.

 

It was a small but super cozy coffee shop with a fair amount of patrons, a homey interior, and an awful lot of photographs of the afternoon sky.

 

As they made their way in, Seungwan noticed how practically the entire staff greet her like she was no stranger.

 

“My, my, my, what a sight for sore eyes!” greeted a boy behind the counter, he looked like he was definitely still in college.

 

“Hello to you, too, Lucas,” Seulgi says as she beckons towards a table at the corner closest to the windows. Lucas nods at this. “Where’s your boss?”

 

“Irene noona is on a trip to Brazil,” Lucas answers as he offers both girls the menu.

 

“Oooh. Sounds fun!”

 

“Business trip actually. She’s pretty pissed off she had to do the trip at all,” Lucas says with a visible gulp. “So, may I take your orders, Seulgi noona and—“

 

“Seungwan,” Seungwan says with a smile.

 

Lucas keeps an anticipating look, moving his eyes grom from one girl to the other expectantly. Seulgi addresses the situation for him.

 

“That’s Seungwan-sshi for you,” Seulgi corrects him with a knowing glance, eyes sparkling like the afternoon sun’s reflection on the sea’s horizon.

 

Seungwan saw the exact moment Lucas’ eyes brightened in understanding. She rubs her fingers underneath the table. Too many things to smile about lately. She’s become too fidgety about it.

 

“Ah, I see.”

 

Okay, that “see” was unnecessarily prolonged.

 

“Hello there, Seungwan-sshi. Glad someone’s keeping Seulgi noona compa—“

 

“—two mochas and one iced latte specials,” Seulgi cuts in. It was obvious her teeth were gritted behind her smiling lips, smiling eyes like daggers despite the cheery demeanor.

 

Lucas smirks, repeats the order, then looks Seungwan’s way to the latter’s confusion.

 

“What will you have?” Seulgi asks, keeping her amusement in.

 

Wait, what? Didn’t she order three—

 

Then a minute later it hits her. All three of them burst out laughing.

 

Today, Seungwan learned Seulgi had a wicked sense of humor, had a sweet tooth that can chomp of Wonka’s entire chocolate factory off the map, put up her own company at the age of 21, is currently 25, and is warm to probably everyone.

 

It was so easy to smile around her. Her fingers haven’t been moving the rest of the evening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seungwan gave Seulgi very specific directions on the way home, and on a weird note, Seulgi looked like she was about to burst out laughing again—

 

—or maybe she was just—

 

—like a big fan of smiling?

 

Yeah, that must be it. Something to add to the list of things she learned about Seulgi.

 

—and apparently she was as sweet as her sugar capacity. She even walks Seungwan to her door.

 

And as they bid their goodbyes and Seungwan got back in apartment, she was sure she didn’t imagine it, but she doesn’t hear Seulgi’s car drive away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next morning, another presumably Wicked Wednesday, Seungwan opens her apartment door to the bright and sunshiny smile of Seulgi. There she stood on her two-yard porch with the sun behind her.

 

“Good morning,” Seulgi greets, bringing along with her an awfully cheery vibe. She then hands Seungwan a cup of coffee, obviously from Crazy Good Coffee. Did she drive there early in the morning?

 

Seungwan doesn’t even realize how much she’s already smiling as she greets the other girl back.

 

And for the rest of the day at school, Sooyoung and Yeri have pestered her endlessly about the fact that she and Seulgi came to the school grounds together and that she held a coffee cup that says “have a great day” and a bear doodle.

 

Familiar.

 

Looks a lot like Lulu.

 

Her thoughts were later drowned by Sooyoung’s squealing when Seulgi approached then to hand over bag of pastries for Seungwan, dashing smile and all.

 

Seungwan swore her shoulder felt a lot like it was dislocated with all the smacking from her two fangirling colleagues.

 

Not that she herself wasn’t squealing on the inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“So, why the bear?” Seungwan asks over pasta that night.

 

They were in a homey Italian restaurant. At the back of her mind, she thought about Seulgi’s taste in food establishments.

 

She was a simple person.

 

It’s only been the third day since her first interaction with Seulgi. She can only think of whether she’s been learning a lot about the interesting Seulgi, or maybe she was just really interested to learn more about the other girl.

 

“My friends think I look like a bear,” Seulgi said with a mouthful of pasta. She then puts a V of her thumb and finger under her chin.

 

Seungwan chuckles at how ridiculous (or adorable) she looked, marinara sauce smearing her lips. Feeling a little bold, she takes a napkin in hand and wipes Seulgi’s lips with it.

 

That was probably the first time she saw Seulgi caught off guard. She wasn’t really confident about flirting after all. She was just generally warm.

 

She wondered how troubling that would be in the future if they do end up dating. Seungwan could be a little jealous sometimes.

 

Why was she thinking these things anyway?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seungwan wasn’t the type to bashful when she was sure about how she felt. Oh, and right now she was definitely, definitely sure.

 

Again, Seulgi walks her to her doorstep. The other girl had not even gone yet and already Seungwan thought of maybe baking her something tonight or the morning.

 

With nothing to offer at the moment, she tugs at Seulgi’s hand to pull her closer. Seulgi visibly reddens at their proximity.

 

“Good night. Thanks for dinner,” Seungwan all but whispers.

 

Seulgi nods, smiling albeit apparently nervous.

 

Seungwan kisses her on the cheek, and on that night she busied herself with prepping baking needs and the thought of a very adorable bear.

 

And no, not Lulu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“So are we in the smooching phase now?”

 

“You are deplorable, Sooyoung,” Seungwan nonchalantly replies as she preps the basket of pastries she slaved over the entire morning.

 

“I’d smooch that if you won’t.”

 

Seungwan throws Sooyoung a halfhearted glare.

 

“Ooh, touchy. You’ve been like on two dates.”

 

“She’s cute,” Seungwan thought that should shut the other girl up.

 

But, of course, it didn’t.

 

“So you like her?”

 

Great. Now there’s Yeri howling in the background as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seungwan was the one to come to Seulgi’s booth this time around. Two of Seulgi’s colleagues were first to notice her—Lisa and Chaeyoung, read their name tags.

 

Chaeyoung’s eyes comically widen at the sight of Seungwan approaching. She (not so) discreetly hits Lisa, who then hits Seulgi, who was entertaining a group of students. Lisa nods her head towards Seungwan’s direction.

 

Seulgi looked a little surprised for a second, but nonetheless offers Seungwan that trademark smile. She respectfully excuses herself from the group and motions for Lisa to take over. Lisa all but (enthusiastically) pushes Seulgi away.

 

“Hi!”

 

“Hi, Seulgi,” Seungwan says as she shyly hands over the basket of her masterpiece. She was quite the pastry chef and she was proud of it. “These are for you.”

 

A hoot somewhere behind Seulgi, Seungwan was sure she heard one. She doesn’t miss Seulgi’s eyeroll.

 

“You made these?” she sounded very surprised and pleased (Seungwan hoped) but that smile was undeniable.

 

Seungwan nods.

 

“Oh, they look wonderful! I’ll finish these in under an hour!” Seulgi proudly declares.

 

“I know you probably will, so I prepared a few more for tomorrow.”

 

Seulgi doesn’t reply this time. Instead, she lowers her head a little and kisses Seungwan’s cheek.

 

“Thank you,” she says before completely stepping out of Seungwan’s space.

 

“Hey! This is a school, you know!”

 

“Yeah! Take it someplace else!”

 

That was definitely Lisa and Chaeyoung. The very irked expression on Seulgi’s face was very telling.

 

Seungwan chuckles at her colleagues’ antics.

 

“They seem like very interesting characters.”

 

“Oh, trust me they are, and um—“ Seulgi sighs, and suddenly looked troubled, like she was about to ask something she doesn’t usually ask. This started worrying Seungwan a little, “Your friend. The tall one?”

 

Seungwan looks at her expectantly, trying her best to push down the tinge of something ugly and possibly green bubbling in her stomach.

 

“Speaking of interest—“ Seulgi motions at Chaeyoung at the back, “my friend‘s, um—interested.”

 

Seungwan nearly sighs in relief and she thinks the other girl noticed. Seulgi was was definitely wearing a smirk, and she really, really shouldn’t find that irritatingly adorable (if that even makes sense).

 

“Sooyoung?” Seulgi nods. “Sure, I’ll tell her.”

 

But for a second, Seulgi’s smile fell a little.

 

“Do you think she won’t be bothered?”

 

“By what?” Seungwan genuinely wondered now.

 

“That Chae’s a girl.”

 

Seungwan smiles at this. She didn’t think Seulgi could be bothered by such things. It turns out she would if it’s someone she probably cared for.

 

“Trust me, she’d be bothered way less than me.”

 

She sees Seulgi mouth an ‘oh’ at the realization that Seungwan has probably not entertained these types of relationships before.

 

“Do—“ she looked adorably tentative, twiddling her fingers suddenly, “—do I—so this bothers you?”

 

“No,” Seungwan all but quickly replies, “especially that it’s with you.”

 

And just like that, Seulgi was again brighter than the sun.

 

Seungwan learned that Seulgi was a very caring and gentle creature. If she had any doubts before, she was now more worried for this girl than she was for herself if this does not work out.

 

“By the way,” Seulgi reaches out with her free hand and takes Seungwan’s in hers, “Chae and Lisa had something in mind tonight.”

 

Seungwan curls her fingers around Seulgi’s.

 

“If you’re free?”

 

Hooting and catcalls again were heard somewhere on the fair grounds. Seungwan was pretty sure that came from the reception desk.

 

“SHE’S FREER THAN AMERICA!”

 

Of course. Sooyoung. The other child of satan.

 

Seungwan hears Chaeyoung declare something about being hit by everlasting love like a train from their booth. As for her, she was sure she was hit by something profound.

 

Not quite love yet.

 

Yep, she was definitely hit.

 

Something like a cannon ball.

 

But she liked it.

 

Suddenly (very suddenly), everything was better than all the days she had before Seulgi and her bears.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It turns out that what Chaeyoung and Lisa’s “had in mind” was a karaoke night, and boy was it crazy.

 

Sooyoung, Yeri, Chaeyoung and Lisa were most definitely having the time of their lives taking turns on singing their hearts out, all the while using the private room’s coffee table as their makeshift stage.

 

Chaeyoung and Sooyoung were most definitely hitting it off, Seungwan thought. She was happy for them.

 

In the middle of her lighthearted thoughts, she was pulled back into reality by a warm hand and a set of (rather tiny) fingers threading through hers.

 

Sometimes, Seulgi could be rather bold.

 

Seungwan decides to shift closer to Seulgi and rest her head on the other girl’s shoulder. She feels her go rigid, so she moves her thumb over Seulgi’s fingers, drawing circles. She could see her visibly relax. Very slowly relax.

 

“It’s not Karaoke Night if the boss doesn’t belt something out!”

 

“Yah! You haven’t heard God’s vocal cords yet if Seungwan doesn’t sing!”

 

The cozy duo move their attention to the ensuing debate in front of them, and decide to settle the dilemma with a duet instead.

 

Yeri (or maybe all four of the other girls) being the child of the God of Mischief that she is punched in a love song.

 

Of course.

 

Nonetheless, that night ended with their audience (of four) swooning to the lyrics and melody of some song entitled ‘Don’t Push Me’.

 

Maybe it wasn’t a cannon ball she was hit with.

 

Seulgi was an entire show of fireworks.

 

She brought color where everything was grey, ever so suddenly.

 

And she liked that.

 

Wait, no.

 

She liked Seulgi.

 

Like a lot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Said “liked person” of course takes Seungwan home again, but this time, not with a little revelation.

 

“Can I ask you something?”

 

Seungwan was halfway inside her apartment when Seulgi asks. She nods, chest holding a breath in anticipation.

 

“I’m—well—not really ask. More like give?“

 

Seulgi had a habit of bringing a hand to  the back of her neck when she was nervous.

 

“I—I kind of gave you a Lulu before, and I wanted to change it, but she’s in my apartment.”

 

Seungwan chuckles and when Seulgi joins in on the amusement, they both end up sharing lighthearted laughter.

 

“Sometimes you scare me with the nervous disclaimers, you know? Lulu is just fine, silly.”

 

Seulgi taps her own forehead with a palm.

 

“I’m just not sure how to go about things sometimes,” the taller girl admits, bowing her head shyly, “especially when I really like someone.”

 

Seulgi then lifts her gaze to meet hers. There were no smile this time, but her eyes were twinkling underneath the moonlight and the soft orange of Seungwan’s porch light.

 

That breath Seungwan held could have been out, but instead the shorter girl might have slightly gasped in a breath. Slightly.

 

She couldn’t possibly say anything else after that. So, when Seulgi leans in, and very,very gently lays her lips on hers, she slowly lets out that breath she was probably holding far too long.

 

“Good night,” Seulgi whispers a few inches from Seungwan’s lips.

 

Seungwan could only nod in her daze.

 

And as Seulgi turned to leave—

 

Wait.

 

Why was she headed for the other door and—

 

Son Seungwan, for all the smarts her parents, family and friends said she had could only recount the many things she had been distracted with lately—all the things that screamed Seulgi-the-y-bear was actually Seulgi-the-strange-neighbor-Kang-Seulgi.

 

Just how far down has she fallen that her usually functioning brain has not connected all of the obvious signs?

 

Oh, how she wanted to rip the mischievous grin off Seulgi’s irritatingly adorable face as the taller girl made a mad dash for her door before Seungwan fully transformed into a super Saiyan.

 

KANG SEULGI!

 

Tonight, Seungwan learned that Seulgi’s last name was Kang, that they were neighbors the whole time, and that she really truly was in the midst of a full-blown fireworks display that is Kang Seulgi.

 

And she liked it.

 

A whole lot more than she did hours ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seulgi did not die the following day though. Seungwan liked her too much to actually incapacitate her.

 

They still went to the school fair together. They were okay. Cozier than yesterday, but Seungwan swore that if Seulgi showed her one more sh eating grin, she is definitely getting hurt.

 

“So, you’ve known that I was your neighbor for how long?”

 

“The whole time,” Seulgi says with her eyes on the road, but that was definitely not a glint of focus.

 

“The whole time?”

 

“Yup! The first time I wanted to talk to you I was in the apartment parking lot like last month maybe?”

 

“You mean, the whole time?”

 

“Yes. So, when I saw you at the fair grounds I just took it as a sign that I should probably—“ Seulgi makes air quotes “—woman up, like Chae said.”

 

Oh.

 

Seungwan falls silent the rest of the ride. She knew it worried the other girl. She could see her looking her way every two seconds.

 

Screw it.

 

As soon as Seulgi pulls up at the school parking lot, Seungwan yanks her by the neckline of her shirt and pulls her into a deeper kiss.

 

“Wow,” was all that barely came out Seulgi’s mouth the soonest they part.

 

Good.

 

Now that made two of them speechless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“So bottomline? I like her but we kind of both thought it was just a childish crush.”

 

“Wow. So you both agreed to just be best buds?”

 

“Yeah, I mean. We like each other, but the only stuff we truly have in common would be ‘Park’ and the second word of our names, ‘Young’.”

 

Seungwan nodded her head non-committaly. She wasn’t really paying attention, or at least she tried, but, from across the floor, Seulgi was making silly faces and impromptu puppet shows with socks she didn’t even know where she got from.

 

Lisa who looks a little disgruntled snatches the other sock puppet from Seulgi and hits her on the head with it.

 

Seungwan chuckles, giving away just how much she was ‘paying attention’ to Sooyoung’s love-story-turned-friendship.

 

Both Yeri and Sooyoung eye her.

 

“Yup, she’s way too gone now,” Yeri says with finality, to which Sooyoung hums in agreement to.

 

And she was.

 

She thinks: yes, she jives well with Seulgi, friendship-wise, but she was very sure that she cannot see herself not liking Seulgi any less than she does now.

 

Maybe they will fare better than the two Parks.

 

Not that friendship was a downgrade. She thinks Sooyoung and Chaeyoung would make really good best friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, it was a Friday night and Seulgi was literally vibrating when she told Seungwan about their stop for the night.

 

Apparently, it was her mysterious apartment.

 

Seulgi, who has halfway opened the door, stops and suddenly turns to Seungwan with a proud smile.

 

“I’m not sure you’ll like this, but you’ll be the first to see it.”

 

Seungwan felt like flirting a little, “are you trying to tell me I’m the first girl you took home?”

 

“W—well—“

 

“Relax. I was just kidding. So what’s the big surprise?”

 

Seulgi’s smile changed. It wasn’t the kind of blinding smile she gives everyone. This one was different. She beckons for Seungwan, who then carefully enters the dark apartment.

 

(You can never be too sure with Seulgi. It might be a prank.)

 

Seulgi shuts the door close, leaving them both in the dark.

 

“Kang Seulgi, you swore you aren’t a murderer.”

 

And why was she hearing running water?

 

She just laughs at this. “I hope you love it just as much as I do. I’ve always wanted to build this since I was a kid.”

 

And with the small little click of the light switch, Seungwan’s breath stayed in for a good minute at the sight.

 

All those days she always wondered about the styrofoam packaging bits, the petals, the weirdest little things she’d find, she finally got her answer.

 

In front of her was the most peaceful and colorful interior design choice she had seen.

 

Seulgi’s apartment was neat, the furniture were of zen inspiration, but the corners and the wall opposite the couch was a very detailed miniature version of what seemed to be a village and its landscape. There was a small stream, a small waterfall, colorful flowerbeds splayed on little hills, a market with little people, a small town, and it all looked so alive. The walls were embedded with soft light underneath a translucent shell covering, giving the impression of daylight, night or sunset.

 

“What do you think?” Seulgi sounded a lot prouder before she invited Seungwan over, and perhaps, the silence she was getting had her confidence dwindle a little.

 

“Is this—a real place? Somewhere you’ve been before?”

 

She could feel Seulgi move gently behind her, and not long after, the taller girl’s arms have slipped comfortably around her waist.

 

“It’s my hometown.”

 

“It’s beautiful.”

 

“I miss home a lot.”

 

“Do you not come home often?” Seungwan slips her arms over Seulgi’s and rests head on her shoulder, leaning into the other girl more.

 

“At one point I couldn’t. I was afraid the company would fail, but the thought of home kept me going and now here I am.”

 

Seungwan hums with the comfort of Seulgi’s soothing heat.

 

“Oh, I almost forgot!”

 

Seulgi’s warmth was all but abruptly gone and Seungwan actually pouts over this.

 

Seulgi comes back and gently turns Seungwan around, revealing a teddy bear bigger than Lulu.

 

“I did say I wanted to give you something better than a company token, so—“

 

Seulgi laughs nervously at Seungwan’s probably unreadable expression.

 

Oh, did Seungwan know she deserved a better bear.

 

So she claims it for herself.

 

She gently puts her hands around Seulgi’s neck and pulls her in for another kiss.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seungwan learned on a Friday night that Seulgi was probably a mirror, too.

 

One she wouldn’t grow tired of looking into.

 

That night, as Seulgi slumbered  underneath her, she reluctantly pulls herself away and moves to a secluded corner in the other girl’s apartment.

 

Then she dials her mother’s number.

 

She wondered how crazy her mom would think she is, how much she has probably changed since the last conversation they had.

 

As the line rang on the other end, awaiting her mom’s response, she brings and keeps her eyes on the sleeping Seulgi—her Seulgi.

 

Seulgi and her little bits of dirt on their two-yard porch. Seulgi and her bears. Seulgi and her antics. Seulgi and her stories.

 

Seulgi radiated color.

 

Seungwan was happy.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Yes, mom.”

 

“It’s just something. Yeah, I need to talk.”