Naeun has trouble sleeping which is—to be expected along with memory loss and other things that thankfully have yet to happen. But the memory loss does. She knows vaguely that she was in a car accident that could have been fatal if it wasn’t for luck.

 

The motion of the car turning and tumbling into the air, distant sounds of glass shattering, vehicles honking and the shouts of a man ringing her ears, are the same kind of dream that she wakes up from. It startles her every morning and while she drinks coffee to calm her nerves, the thought still keeps her jittery.

 

But Naeun doesn’t ask about the details of her accident.

 

She fears it will bring bad memories to the friends around her and probably trigger something else that she is scared of. Coming back to the house feels unusually odd. Hayoung notices.

 

Or rather, Naeun doesn’t know about the other story that happened. The whole thing with Eunji and Chorong. The fact that Eunji got run over by a car and Chorong ran away without saying anything. But she doesn’t ask anything about it, at all.

 

Instead, Naeun is back to her usual daily routine—reading books. While she is given a two week leave from school, books seem to kill off the time pretty fast.

 

“Oh, by the way, your boyfriend is coming over to visit you tomorrow.”  Hayoung says as comes down the stairs and grabs a Snickers bar from the fridge.

 

Naeun blinks at her. “Boyfriend…?”

 

Hayoung stares back with wide eyes. She takes a bite from the chocolate bar and sits next to her. “Yeah, your boyfriend, Lee Taemin.” Naeun just stares at her, having no idea what she’s saying.

 

“Okay, I know. The doctor says you suffer from memory loss which is totally fine. But how much do you remember?”

 

Naeun purses her lips and thinks for a moment. “Christmas.”

 

“Then, you should remember him! That’s really…weird…”

 

“I remember us having that dinner before Christmas. You tried to cut the turkey and Eunji helped you out. But that’s really it.”

 

Hayoung sighs. “So, just small bits of memories huh? Like a puzzle that you gotta piece together? Okay, I’ll keep that in note and tell him.” She chews on another bite. “Anyways, you have a boyfriend now. So, keep that in mind.

 

“I’m just…surprised that I have one” Naeun says quietly and looks away.

 

“Right?!”

 

Hayoung’s voice rises as she suddenly stands up. She realises that she almost startles Naeun and quickly sits back down. “Sorry.” She apologises and clears .

 

“You guys have been going steady for like two months? I don’t know much of the details cause you don’t talk to us about it anyway. But good luck for tomorrow. He’s a good guy.” She says and pats Naeun’s back.

 

“…What about Bomi? Where is she?”

 

Hayoung chuckles and shrugs.

 

“She skipped a lot of her classes to be by your side, so I’m guessing she’s in deep trouble. Heard from Eunji that she’s going to stay at school for awhile and finish up whatever she’s missed. Assignments, tests and oh boy, her half-completed thesis.”

 

“…Oh.”

 

Hayoung notices the frown on Naeun’s face and knows exactly what that means. Now, Namjoo’s been telling her about this—about how wrong it is to have Naeun dating some random guy her father recommended when it’s so obvious there is already someone else in her heart. Hayoung never really seemed to notice it until now..

 

The rule of the house is to always keep secrets and to never pursue it. But the thing is, Hayoung is new to the family and her style—isn’t the kind to be hush.

 

“You like her, don’t you?” Hayoung blurts.

 

Naeun startles and stutters. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She turns her head away, feeling her cheeks heat up.

 

Hayoung gives her a mischievous look. It’s way too obvious to her eye. “Bomi. You like her. And you feel guilty for learning that you have a boyfriend.” She nudges her elbow. “You wish it was her that you were dating.”

 

Naeun freezes at Hayoung’s splash of facts hitting directly at her face. In a way, it’s somewhat refreshing to have someone not beating around the bush. The rest of her housemates tend to walk carefully on a thread when it comes to bringing personal matters into the conversation. But Hayoung doesn’t.

 

And maybe, that is what makes her unique.

 

“Perhaps, I do.” Naeun confesses quietly. “I don’t know, Hayoung. I just- “ She shakes her head. “I only have small bits of things that I remember. And a lot of them, I see Bomi. And whenever I see her in my visions, my heart just…feels things.” The girl clutches her chest.

 

Naeun isn’t the type to openly tell others about her feelings. But strangely, when she’s with Hayoung, everything seems to flow naturally out of . She makes her comfortable.

 

“That’s good.” Hayoung nods with a grin. “Because I’m the same as you!”

 

“Same as me?”

 

“Yup! I broke up with Chungha a few weeks ago.”

 

Naeun looks at her with surprised eyes. “What?”

 

Hayoung smiles sadly and sinks back into the couch. She confesses.

 

“Turns out I wasn’t actually in love with Chungha. It was Namjoo all along.”

 

 

 

xxx

 

 

 

When Seollal happened a week ago, everyone packed up and left for home—even Chorong.

 

Well, it’s mainly because she can’t say I ran away from the house and left Hayoung all alone without saying anything to her parents anyway. So, the girl was expecting to see her young sister again after two long months.

 

Two long months after Christmas, two long months after Eunji’s accident, two long months after Naeun’s incident.

 

To this day, she hasn’t seen the messages on her phone. She doesn’t dare to open it and muted all notifications. The only thing she opens are school related things and calling her mother to tell her she’s coming back for Seollal.

 

When she’s waiting at the bus stop with all of her luggage, Chorong expects to bump into Hayoung who is obviously going on the same line. And indeed, she does.

 

“Oh wow, look who’s here.” Hayoung says dramatically as she sits next to her, dragging her luggage along.

 

Chorong doesn’t reply because she doesn’t know what to say. Of course, she’s sorry. Guilty for leaving her without saying anything. The older sister quietly observes Hayoung who simply takes out her phone and acts as if she’s a stranger, a ghost perhaps.

 

The reunited sisters don’t say anything. Nothing but a cold silence in the air. The ones doing all the talking are the crowd of people waiting for a bus.

 

Chorong sighs as she tightens the grip on her luggage handle. She knows she can’t keep continuing this whole ‘act’. Eventually, she’s going to have to explain everything that happened; the reason Eunji got hit, the reason she ran away.

 

She has to take the first step forward, and to do that first step, it has to start with her sister.

 

“Hayoung.”

 

Chorong calls out quietly, but Hayoung doesn’t respond. She isn’t surprised. When they were kids, there was a time where Chorong hid all of her candies because a five-year-old shouldn’t be having too much sugar. Upset, Hayoung didn’t talk to Chorong for days and simply sulked.

 

But that was such a long time ago. Here, right now, they are full, grown, mature adults.

 

“I-I’m sorry okay? For running away. For not replying your messages. For not…being a proper sister for you. I just…I just have my own problems.” Chorong stutters but manages to pull through.

 

“It’s fine.” Hayoung says as she locks her phone and tucks it into her jacket. She turns to look at her sister with a warm smile. “You don’t need to start a long speech or whatever. I didn’t expect that you’d still be coming back for Seollal after the that happened. That…shows something, you know?”

 

Chorong looks down awkwardly, but relieved that they did not end on bad terms. To have her little sister speaking to her again, those cute, innocent eyes, Hayoung is indeed a sweetheart. A girl who forgives people too easily.

 

“I don’t want to risk being disowned by the family. You know how big Seollal is for mum and dad.” Chorong replies.

 

“That’s true.” Hayoung chuckles. “You know, it was kind of nice to not see you around for a couple of months. My ears had a good amount of rest.” She jokes.

 

“Oh, shush.” Chorong nudges her elbow and the two sisters laugh.

 

“You know sis, whenever you’re ready to tell me whatever that happened, I’ll be here. No one’s going to force you to come back and no one’s going to force you to leave either.”

 

Hayoung grips softly onto Chorong’s shoulder. “But you have to do this on your own. This is your own mess. No one can help you. Not even me.”

 

Chorong holds onto Hayoung’s hand and nods slowly.

 

“I know.”

 

When Chorong returns from the Seollal holidays, she doesn’t follow Hayoung back to the house. The two take separate buses back. One to the house and the other to Solar & Moonbyul’s apartment. Hayoung doesn’t ask her anything about it and pretends that she was never there during Seollal; a little secret between the sisters.

 

Chorong goes to university as usual, expecting to bump into Eunji. But she doesn’t. The girl isn’t there in the library that they usually hanged out. But Chorong doesn’t look for her. Even though she knows she cannot run from Eunji forever, she believed fate will find a way for the right time.

 

Eventually.

 

Somewhere along the weekend, Solar becomes surprised with Chorong’s mention of going back to the house—for a visit. Yeah, she was happy for a second, but at least, it’s a small effort.

 

Solar offers to drive her there but Chorong insists on taking public transport because she wants Solar to spend more time with Moonbyul.

 

So here she is, standing at the porch, once again.

 

Today, she can hear the distant loud voice of Namjoo and Bomi, they are probably playing another game of Mario Kart again. It’s still winter, so everyone is kind of lazy to go out.

 

The doorbell rings and Chorong stands there anxiously. For a moment, she hoped to see Eunji. But instead, Bomi opens the door.

 

“Oh.” Bomi looks at her. “It’s you.”

 

“I technically live here.” Chorong rolls her eyes and awkwardly tucks her hands inside the pocket. “But I lost the keys somewhere so yeah…” She trails off quietly.

 

“Surely that can’t be the reason why you suddenly disappeared for two months now.”

 

“Look. I’m sorry. Can you just let me in already? It’s ing freezing here.”

 

Chorong frowns while Bomi nervously laughs, somewhat not missing that scary gaze. She lets her in anyway. The girl closes the door behind and Chorong walks into the common area. Bomi follows behind.

 

As expected, a game of Mario Kart is put on pause. Namjoo is at the counter refilling her cup of coffee. Naeun is seated at the corner of the couch, reading a book. Hayoung is on the other end of the couch, hoodie over, laptop on her lap and busy doing her assignment. But one difference is this.

 

Eunji isn’t there.

 

No one really acknowledges Chorong’s presence. Well, Naeun gives her one look. Namjoo simply jokes with a “how was your holiday?” to which Chorong replies with a “fine, thank you.” Hayoung ignores Chorong completely. Bomi grabs onto Chorong’s arm and halts her footsteps.

 

“If you’re looking for Eunji, she isn’t here. And also, if you’re just here for Eunji, then you should probably leave.”

 

“Look.” Chorong sighs. “I’m sorry that I left without saying anything. I’ll tell you guys the reason soon, okay?”

 

Bomi doesn’t say anything. She tightens her grip but eventually looks away and lets her go. Even though there’s so much that Bomi wants to say, she decides to keep her lip shut.

 

“Fine. Just, do whatever you want then. Your name is legally signed under this house so we can’t really kick you out anyway. Plus, you’re the oldest one here by month.”

 

Bomi mumbles and returns back to the couch, urging Namjoo to hurry up so that they can start another round of Mario Kart. Naeun notices Chorong staring at her. So, she puts the book down and tells her.

 

“Don’t worry. I don’t suffer from amnesia or anything. I know who you are and yes, I am fine, thank you.”

 

Namjoo walks past Chorong and gets herself comfortably on the beanie, picking up the controller as she and Bomi start another round of Mario Kart. She feels Chorong’s eyes on her so she says.

 

“I am not angry at you by the way. But someone sure is. I’m not obliged to do anything because this is your own mess. So, come back once you’ve fixed that, okay?”

 

Hayoung’s eyes are stuck to the laptop but she can see from the corner that Chorong is turning to her. She pauses her typing and looks up.

 

“Unnie, don’t just stand there. We didn’t outcast you or anything. You are always welcome here. It’s just that…you know, you did something. And you have to fix it.”

 

Everyone else returns to do their own thing. And Chorong stands there between the common area and the kitchen. She knows what their words mean. In a way, it’s both mocking yet encouraging. They really are the best family she’s got besides her real ones.

 

Even when she ran away without saying anything, they still welcome her with open arms, not questioning the reasons.

 

This is her home. Her place.

 

Chorong goes upstairs into her room. The room she shares with Eunji. A place of memory. A place that is dear to her heart. She opens the door quietly, even though Bomi told her that Eunji isn’t around. But turns out, Bomi lied to her.

 

To Chorong’s surprise, Eunji is there. Asleep.

 

But, asleep on her bed.

 

There’s something about that makes her heart ache but also warm up.

 

The sunflower from a month ago is there. She’s taking good care of it. The room otherwise, is a mess. Eunji’s known to be chaotic person while Chorong is a neat person.

 

When two forces balance each other, often, the room is clean. But with the other half gone, it’s just all over the place.

 

Chorong stands by the door, frozen and unsure what to do. Eunji is right here in her sight. Her roommate all curled up, hugging tightly onto Chorong’s pillow, face buried in and as still as a log. Eunji is a deep sleeper, not even three alarm clocks can wake her up. She notices the swollen eyebags on Eunji’s face—it’s obvious she has been crying. She notices the crutches placed on the side—she is still recovering from her injuries.

 

And it just makes her feel even worse.

 

Then, it hits her. Everything.

 

The scene of Changsub’s car zooming past from the distance and hits Eunji. The scene of her body flying midway and landing hard on the street. The scene of her blood staining the tar road. The scene of her body being pulled into the ambulance and the doors closing shut.

 

She should’ve gone with her.

 

But she didn’t. Out of fear. Out of trauma—out of all of her past scars that has continued to haunt her to this day.

 

She’s trying to get them out. Trying to lock them, push them down. But it isn’t so easy. Especially when Chorong meets Changsub again, in that bar and all of this…happens.

 

Chorong doesn’t want to hurt Eunji anymore. She is scared of love, for she has seen how evil and dangerous it can become. It can change people. It can hurt people. And she doesn’t want that to happen to Eunji.

 

The girl moves slowly to Eunji’s side and gently pecks her forehead. She looks at her for a long minute and leaves the room.

 

Chorong made her decision. The final one.

 

 

xxx

 

 

 

Hayoung isn’t exactly a romanticist, but she grew up reading a lot of novels and watching films that made her think about a cliché, perfect, happy love.

 

The thing is, college life changed all of that.

 

It isn’t just as simple as how the storyline goes. There’s going to be ups and downs. Sometimes, you won’t find that perfect person yet. You have to dig a bit deeper, be patient and find where your heart belongs. But Hayoung knows she’s the one this time.

 

The right answer to her heart; Kim Namjoo.

 

At the beginning of February, she tells everyone she has broken up with Chungha. This comes as a huge surprise to her friends and housemates, because they seemed to be perfectly fine and happy. No questions were asked because the two of them decide to remain as good friends and that’s that.

 

A few days after the big announcement, Namjoo asks Hayoung if she’s okay. The latter says she’s completely fine and not sad at all. It’s something that Hayoung realises just how much Namjoo cares about her. And that strikes a place somewhere in her heart.

 

“Really? Are you sure? It’s just…I don’t know. This was your first relationship after all and it can be hard to go through a break up.”

 

“It’s really fine, Namjoo. You’re really sweet, you know that? But thank you for worrying about me.”

 

One week later, Hayoung starts worrying and contemplating on how to confess to Namjoo. When she turns to Yerin and Sooyoung for advice, they all say her heart changes too fast. But nevertheless, they help her. The two just hope that Hayoung isn’t the type to be impulsive when it comes to relationships.

 

“Really? A whole poetic speech? You’ve got to be joking me. This isn’t the 1600’s.” Sooyoung laughs and holds her stomach.

 

Yerin snorts and says, “William Shakespeare will be proud of you hun.”

 

Hayoung rolls her eyes. Of course, her best friends sure are great ‘help’.

 

“I’ll buy you guys ice cream.” She sighs.

 

“Deal!” The two agree in unison.

 

Valentines is three days away and Hayoung knows this is the perfect season to pop it. With her besties helping out, they go shopping for the best, delicious chocolates. Knowing Namjoo, sweets are just an appetiser.

 

So, Hayoung tops it up with baking her own—not brownies, but cake. A chocolate cake with her confession, “Will you date me?” smeared on with red cream. Yeah, kind of cheesy but that’s how it works for Hayoung.

 

She has the whole thing planned out in her head:

 

Hayoung will ask Namjoo to meet at the playground near the house with the reason being, she has something “important” to say. Then, when she meets her, Hayoung will go all out, wish her Happy Valentines, give her the chocolates and then the cake—she will confess and by right, everything will be a happy ever after.

 

But sometimes, things do not go according to plan.

 

On the day of Valentines, Namjoo apologises and says that she’s busy with her club. Apparently, there is a Valentines event happening on campus and the whole team is out doing volunteer services for couples. Well, great.

 

Hayoung texts: It’s okay. When are you coming home?

 

Namjoo replies: Kind of late though. Sorry, Hayoung. Can’t you just tell me this through text?

 

But Hayoung simply says: It’s okay. I’ll wait.

 

So, for the whole day of Valentines, Hayoung sulks and hangs out with Sooyoung and Yerin who try to make her feel better. They go out shopping in Hongdae, play video games, chill at cafes and in a blink, night has fallen.

 

There is about four hours left till Valentines is over and this makes Hayoung anxious. As she walks home, she texts Namjoo again. Not that she wants to sound clingy but she really does not want this plan to get ruined.

 

It takes five long minutes until she replies: Coming home now. Just boarded the train.

 

By then, Hayoung is already at the house. She finds it odd that no one is around. The girl assumes that everyone else has their own plans for Valentines. Deciding not to think too deep on that matter, she goes to the fridge and takes out the ‘suspicious” red box with a sticky post it written with “Do not touch.”

 

She opens it and sighs in relief. The chocolates and cake are still intact. Guess no one really bothered with the box. Hayoung brings it to her room and hides it inside her desk. She sits down on her bed and waits.

 

This isn’t how she usually behaves. No. Her heart is dancing. She feels the tension tingling in her fingers. She hopes she doesn’t screw it up.

 

“Hayoung?”

 

The girl almost jumps when she hears Namjoo outside. She opens the door and peeks her head through, “Hey.”

 

“You were waiting for me the whole time?” Namjoo asks as she enters the room. A worried expression all over her face.

 

“Y-yeah. It was important so…of course I waited.”

 

“Alright.” Namjoo puts down her stuff and sits on her bed. “Tell me. What’s wrong?”

 

Hayoung pauses as she sees Namjoo putting all of her attention towards her. It warms her heart. It is so obvious that Namjoo cares for her a whole lot. And it makes Hayoung want to hit herself for not realising it sooner.

 

 “Uh, actually, you know that today is a special day right?” The girl mumbles and heads towards the desk, slowly taking out the box but hiding it behind her back.

 

“Yeah. It’s Valentines Day. A day of love, a day of—Hayoung?” Namjoo gasps as she sees her roommate holding a red box and smiling at her.

 

“Happy Valentines Day, Namjoo.”

 

The girl is still gaping as she receives the box. She looks at it for a moment and stares back at Hayoung.

 

“You didn’t have to.”

 

“I wanted to. Because I mean it. Sincerely.” Hayoung says and signals her to open it. Namjoo unwraps it and her eyes widen. The first thing that catches her attention, isn’t the chocolates. It isn’t the cake.

 

But the large, bold words written with cream.

 

“Will you date me?”

 

“Kim Namjoo, will you date me?” Hayoung says as she looks at her roommate with the softest eyes. Her cheeks are flared up but that smile on her face is full of sincerity. This isn’t a joke. Not a prank. This is her true feelings.

 

“I like you Namjoo. You’re the only person who made things okay even when it wasn’t. You care for me. You worry about me. Sure, this sounds like a typical big sister kind of thing, but it’s so much more than that. When you smile, I smile. When I hear your laughter, it makes me feel so whole…”

 

Hayoung trails off when she sees Namjoo pop a chocolate into . Her roommate gives her one look. The girl is confused because she doesn’t know what that means. But she continues her “love” speech anyway, when suddenly—Namjoo pulls the string of Hayoung’s hoodie and the girl tumbles forward—the two find themselves in a kiss.

 

A sweet, sugary kiss.

 

It’s Hayoung’s first kiss.

 

No, the ones with Chungha doesn’t count because it was just a peck on the cheek and forehead. But this one with Namjoo. This was the real deal. And it’s nothing like she’d ever imagined.

 

Hayoung thought kisses were disgusting, sloppy and just plain ‘ew’ in general. But boy, she’s changed her mind. This kiss she’s having with Namjoo is as sweet as chocolate. A sweet kind of love that is perfect to describe their relationship.

 

“W…wow.”

 

Hayoung is in awe when Namjoo pulls back. Namjoo gives her a grin and asks, “How was your first kiss?” while chewing onto the chocolate.

 

“G-Good. Um, are you going to eat this? We could put this in the fridge…” Hayoung stutters, awkwardly flying her arms around with the box.

 

“And what?”

 

Namjoo hums with a smug look at Hayoung, encouraging her to say words that would be very embarrassing for the younger one, simply because she is so inexperienced with love.  And as expected, the girl’s face turns red upon that mention.

 

She looks away and stutters, “So-so that we-can you-you-know…k-kiss a bit more…?”   

 

Namjoo laughs and hums, “Oh, Hayoung. You have no idea how long I’ve been longing to kiss you. So, so much.”

 

 

 

xxx

 

 

 

Around the same time on Valentines Day, Naeun goes to campus.

 

There is no reason for her to come here. It’s already night. No classes are on. She has no books to return or borrow. None of her friends or groups arranged a meet-up here. Naeun came here on her own accord.

 

She came to look for someone.

 

While it is suggested by the doctors and even her family that she is to stay home in case of any reoccurring side-effects from the accident, Naeun thinks she’s perfectly fine. She goes down to the 24/7 study rooms. It’s empty. Everyone’s gone out to celebrate Valentines, even the singles.

 

But she knows that she’s there, somewhere. The girl wanders around the study rooms for a bit longer until she hears the door open.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

Naeun looks up at the one person she came for, all the way just to see her. To talk to her. And to tell her something very important.

 

“I heard from Eunji that you’ll be here.”

 

Bomi gives her a tired smile.

 

She has been spending the past weeks finishing up all of her missed work, assignments and pending thesis so that she doesn’t have to repeat another semester. Sure, it’s obviously because she skipped everything to be by Naeun’s side. Why?

 

The reason is simple: Bomi loves Naeun.

 

“Shouldn’t you be hanging out with Taemin on this important day?”

 

Bomi yawns and returns to her seat. She groans at her laptop beeping with a low battery sign and grumbles to get the charging cables from the bag.

 

“…I broke up with Taemin.”

 

And that wakes Bomi up. She stops what she’s doing and stares at Naeun. She blinks once and tries to process the information.

 

“You…what? But, why?”

 

Naeun walks closer to Bomi and says, “Because I remember everything now. The memories we had together. The little moments. And also, the things we talked about on the day of Christmas before my accident. I remember it all.”

 

“B-But wait. What about your father? Your family? Aren’t they the ones who wanted you to get with Taemin? You even told me about how Taemin’s side wanted you two to get married quick. Have kids and continue the bloodline or something like that-“

 

“That’s what they want. This is my life. My choices. I won’t let them decide it for me.”

 

“…Did you talk to your father yet?”

 

Naeun shakes her head slowly. “I haven’t told him yet…about the breakup. But I will soon.” She holds onto Bomi’s hand. “I wanted you to be the first one to know.”

 

“Naeun.”

 

“I love you Bomi.”

 

Upon that sentence, the roommate drops everything and hugs her. She doesn’t know why. But the mere mention of that sentence, “I love you Bomi” meant so much to her. She wraps her arms around Naeun’s waist and rests her head on those shoulders.

 

“It’s been so hard you know?” Bomi says as her voice is cracking up. She hugs tighter when Naeun replies with a simple nod. It has been difficult to be okay.

 

She wanted to be strong.

 

Strong when she sat there and watched Naeun lying still at the ward. Strong when she woke up and the doctor told her that she will suffer from memory loss. Strong when she saw Taemin’s car drive up the porch of the house and watched the two go out.

 

Yet, Naeun saying that she loves her with that same sincerity in her eyes, the same soft smile, it was just enough. A reward. A comfort. A blessing.

 

A joy to have her back.

 

“I thought I didn’t have a chance.” Bomi sobs as she wipes her tears away. “And I guess I just gave up.”

 

Naeun cups her cheek and shakes her head. “You are always my number one priority. I will never give you up for anyone else.” She says and kisses Bomi.

 

Softly, gently, just like how they always did. Right here, in this study room with no one else.

 

A kiss that was apologetic, healing and comforting.

 

 

xxx

 

 

 “You have to stop living here.” Solar finally says as she’s getting ready to meet Moonbyul for a Valentine’s date. The latter left early for some club errands. She notices that Chorong isn’t replying so she purposely stands in front of the television, hands on her hip and sighs.

 

“Like seriously. You have a house. A whole bedroom. And definitely a group of friends that you belong to. Not here.”

 

“If I go back, I have to talk to Eunji.” Chorong says slowly, eyes not at Solar, but at the corner of the television. She’s still trying to watch the cooking programme on the screen. Solar her head and follows the direction of Chorong’s eyes. “If I stay here, I can keep cooking for you…” Chorong trails behind.

 

“I can cook. Moonbyul cooks too.” Solar counters.

 

“Yeah well, when you two cook together, it suddenly takes a whole hour to get dinner ready.”

 

“Nice try, but no. Insulting our relationship isn’t going to help.”

 

Chorong rolls her eyes and shrugs. “Fine, fine.” She gets up and stretches her arms. “I’ll leave. Like today.”

 

Solar mocks her with a celebratory clap. “Good. That’s good. It’s finally time for you to face your fears. And also, Moonbyul and I can finally have .”

 

“I did not need to know that last line.”

 

Chorong grimaces and goes into the small storeroom where she’s been sleeping. It isn’t that bad. Although tight with all the boxes filled with random stuff for Solar’s Youtube Channel, there is just enough room to fit a mattress.

 

She gathers her things quickly because she packed beforehand. It was just about time that she should leave anyway. She’s made a final decision after lots and lots of thinking.

 

“Do you think Eunji hates me?” Chorong asks quietly as she curls the bag over her shoulder. Solar makes a face at the question.

 

“For what—dating an abusive dickhead who’s done nothing but to you?”

 

Part of Chorong says yes, but it’s also not entirely what she meant.

 

“For leaving her and not coming back in so long.” She says again.

 

Solar gives her a smile.

 

“If Moonbyul did that to me, of course I’d be mad. But for not coming back in so long, that’s a lot of time to think. Eventually, I’d try to understand why Moonbyul would want to leave me without saying anything. And then, slowly, I want to forgive her.”

 

“But why? Why are you so optimistic on that?”

 

“Because I trust her, Chorong.” Solar says. “And most importantly, I love her.”

 

I love her.

 

It’s something that strikes a chord in Chorong’s heart.

 

So, here she is at the house.

 

It’s early in the morning. Also, minus five degrees. She stands there at the porch again, somewhat regretting this idea. One part of her wants to run away. But the other part wants to move forward.

 

Clutching tightly on her bag strap, she opens the door. But the door stops halfway. She sees through the reflection that someone is on the other side. Chorong lets go and this time, it’s not Bomi who greets her. Not Naeun. Not Namjoo. Not her sister, Hayoung.

 

But the person that she’s been wanting to see for a very long time.

 

“So, you’re back.”

 

Eunji says in a low voice as the two are looking at each other. There is a long pause. Chorong nods once, stiff. She waits for Eunji to say something. But instead, she feels her roommate’s eyes scanning down to her bag.

 

“I’m-“

 

Chorong starts and stops. She hesitates and looks away. But Eunji waits for her. In fact, if she wasn’t looking away, Chorong would be able to see a slight smile on Eunji’s face. But alas, she missed that opportunity.

 

She takes a deep breath and musters the courage to say, “I’m sorry.”

 

“Sorry that you abandoned me in the street after I was hit by a car? Or are you sorry that you didn’t reply to any of messages, calls and didn’t bother to come back to the house?”

 

“…All of it.”

 

Eunji sighs and nods slowly at Chorong. She looks straight into her eyes and it takes her a moment until she says, “Well. You live here. And I live here. But that doesn’t mean we’re okay.” She steps out and walks past her.

 

Chorong looks at her, wanting to open and ask where she is going, but Eunji beats her to it.

 

“Going for my therapy sessions. I don’t need crutches anymore but that doesn’t mean I can walk perfect.” She waves and walks off.

 

For a moment, something heavy is lifted off Chorong’s shoulder. She isn’t sure why. Out of all the scenarios that was planned in her head, none of the bad ones happened.

 

Like the scenario of Eunji yelling at her with tears flowing down her cheeks. Or the scenario of Eunji telling her to piss off.

 

Instead, meeting Eunji after so long, felt nothing but warm and little spark of hope that they’ll maybe, be okay again.

 

On the morning of Valentines Day, Eunji meets Chorong again.

 

On the night of Valentines Day, Naeun tells Bomi she has broken up with Taemin.

 

Three hours before Valentine’s Day is over, Hayoung confesses to Namjoo.

 

 

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a/n: big oof guys. Valentines Day is such a blessing :') 

also this chapter is longer than usual, to make up for two short chapters hehe