It was a chilly, quiet night, perfect for a midnight snack drowned by a bottle of alcohol. Eunji knocked gently against Bomi’s room door, poking her head inside to see the head reaper bundled up in three different layers of blankets.

                   “You trying to go to Antarctica or something?” Eunji teased, pushing against the door and letting herself in casually.

                   “What do you want, Eunji?” Bomi groaned, still not catching sight of the offerings that Eunji brought.

                   When the girl finally lifted them in front of her face, Bomi brightened instantly and patted her bed to Eunji welcomingly. Eunji smirked and seated herself comfortably, peeling away one of the blankets Bomi was using to cover her own feet. They drank in silence at first, trying to get tipsy enough so that a deep conversation could commence. For Bomi, that limit came quickly.

                   “So,” Eunji drawled, popping open another bag of chips as she spoke, “How’s it going with Naeun?”

                   “What do you mean?”

                   “You seem to be making progress.”

Eunji flashed an impish grin and poured her friend a drink before tending to her own cup.

                   “You really think so?”

                   “She’s by your side every single day. I’d say that’s something.” Eunji knocked backed her drink, then let her hand reach for a chip.

                   Bomi simply looked thoughtfully back at her, nibbling at the cup in her hand.

                   “We almost kissed, you know?” Bomi suddenly whispered, letting the alcohol sting at her tongue when she began to gulp it down slowly. Eunji waited impatiently for her to finish, emptying two more cups for herself before Bomi finally set hers down. “We were so close.”

                   “When?”

                   “Just the other day,” Bomi hummed, reminiscing quietly, “We were laughing and playing games on her bed when she leaned in so close to my face.”

                   Bomi giggled, falling back onto the bed with her arms spread out.

                   “Like this?” Eunji swooped in front of Bomi, her lashes almost touching Bomi’s nose.

                   Bomi examined Eunji’s golden brown eyes for a long second before nodding, a stupid grin on her face when Eunji fell back onto the bed next to her. The two friends began to laugh wildly, pushing each other and trying to get the other off the bed with their arms and legs. Bomi ended up sprawled on the wooden floor, attempting to get up only to be pushed back down by Eunji’s forceful kick. There was a loud howl of what seemed like a mixture of laughter and whining but Bomi was able to stumble back onto the bed while Eunji was still snortling.

                   “I think you should confess.” Eunji said boldly, jabbing the air with her fist and blinking distinctly up at Bomi. Bomi’s lower lip began to poke out, her eyes drooping closed as she nodded in heavy agreement.

                   “You’re right! First thing tomorrow I w-will… First thing tomorrow… what were we talking about?”

                   Eunji sighed at her friend’s stupidity and poked Bomi’s forehead roughly, sending the girl tripping backward into a wall. Eunji was still sober enough to aim and direct this conversation in the right way.

                   “First thing tomorrow, go to Naeun's room and tell her how you feel!” Eunji yelled into Bomi’s ear, trying to get the words ingrained in her brain.

                   Perhaps alcohol was not the ideal situation for this. Bomi was still bobbing her head furiously in agreement, and she began to repeat after Eunji well enough that Eunji was certain she would have at least some resolve left over the next morning.

                   “Naeun… Naaaaa. Euuunnnn.” Bomi mumbled, falling dizzily back onto her bed, “Naeun…” With that, she fell asleep, soft snores filling the room. Eunji sighed at the sight, already gathering up the trash from their festive night and tucking Bomi into bed properly. She took another sweeping glance at the room, smiled gently at the successful night, and quietly slipped downstairs, trying not to disturb the rest of the household.

.....

                   Eunji opened her eyes to the smell of warm stew brewing in the kitchen. Groggily, she let her feet fall onto the wooden planks, washed enough to make herself presentable, and trotted out into the living room. Namjoo and Hayoung were happily munching on their bowl of rice and fish, occasionally checking up on Chorong to see if the main dish was close to ready. Even Naeun would look up from her book to take a whiff at the wafting smell.

                   “Where’s Bomi?” Eunji asked casually, leaning over to gently knock the book out