Apartment 3-B:

Hayoung: Can I have some money for the arcade?

Eunji: How much?

Hayoung: Eh… About fifty bucks will do.

Eunji (yells): Fifty bucks for a trip to the arcade?

Hayoung: You say it as if I’m using it for gambling or something.

Naeun (mutters): At least when you gamble you have a chance at winning some back.

Hayoung (sighs): Fine.

                Then thirty bucks.

Eunji: … Fifteen.

Hayoung: Twenty and I’m not going lower.

Eunji: Then no.

Hayoung pouts for a second, her eyes boring into Eunji’s stern gaze when Naeun suddenly slams a twenty dollar bill on the table.

Naeun: Consider it a late birthday present.

Eunji (sighs): You don’t have to do this.

                It’s just an arcade game. She can live without it.

Naeun: Nah. Our future pro gamer needs the practice.

Hayoung (slyly): Wait a second…

                Are you just being nice to me so you don’t have to spill the tea about your second date today?

Naeun (blushing): It’s not a date!

Eunji (exclaims): Second date?

Naeun: Hang out as friends.

Hayoung (rolls eyes): Okay.

                Then please tell us about your hang out––

Eunji: –– as friends.

*FLASHBACK*

Bomi: You like coffee, right?

Naeun: … I’m not letting you buy.

Bomi: What?

                I’m just a generous upperclassman offering to buy you a drink out of the kindness of my heart and you dare reject me?

Naeun: Yes.

Bomi (grumbles): Fine.

                Buy your own damn coffee then.

Naeun smiles to herself as they turn around the block, only to have Bomi come to a quiet halt in front of the cafe’s glass window.

Bomi: How about we go somewhere else?

Naeun: Huh?

Bomi: I know somewhere else that makes a killer latte.

Naeun (raises brow): And somewhere Byungchan-free?

Bomi (quietly): …

                He’s in there with Sejun. I don’t want to interrupt.

Naeun: … 

                Okay. Let’s go somewhere else.

Bomi (grins): You’re the best.

Naeun: Do we need to take the bus?

They catch a bus within a couple minutes and take a seat in the back, legs and arms tingling from the way they brush against each other. Bomi resists the desire to hold Naeun’s hand.

Bomi: You aren’t curious?

Naeun: About Byungchan and Sejun?

                … Kind of.

Bomi: Hm.

Naeun: … 

Bomi: I can tell you.

                If you want.

Naeun: You can.

                If you want.

Bomi: … Sejun, Ilhoon, and I were a trio back then.

Naeun: So you had two boys after you?

Bomi (smirks): Ilhoon’s just an idiot.

                He doesn’t know what he wants.

Naeun: But Sejun?

Bomi: Sejun liked me.

                It wasn’t that I didn’t know… It was just easier to pretend like I didn’t.

Naeun looks up at her.

Naeun: I get that.

Bomi: Yeah. But I’m not sure you’ll get whatever comes next.

Naeun: Okay.

Bomi: Okay.

                You know how I said I don’t do dates after I realized how personal they are?

Naeun: Mhm.

Bomi: There’s someone I used to take on dates. It was all pretty casual and I guess I simply assumed they knew what I was like.

Naeun: What are you like?

Bomi (pauses): The whole player image.

Naeun (quietly): But that isn’t all you are, is it?

Bomi (sighs): It isn’t.

                Maybe that’s why it made things worse but feelings got involved and when it was all over I was pretty lost myself.

Naeun: Did you like the person?

Bomi (quietly): It wasn’t love. I was just overwhelmed after seeing someone’s heart break because of me.

                And it still wasn’t a good excuse for me to bounce back on Sejun.

Bomi checks Naeun’s expression. It’s unreadable.

Bomi: I had a few shots before going to Sejun after I broke things off with the one I took on dates. But it wasn’t enough for him to know I was influenced. I’m not sure what I was thinking or hoping for but I kissed him and told him I loved him.

                Suddenly, I was letting him love me.

Naeun: … What was it like? To let someone love you?

Bomi: It’s familiar but not that great. Not as great as it would feel if I loved him back.

Naeun: Hm…

                That .

Bomi: What does?

Naeun: You.

Bomi whips around to face Naeun, unable to take her eyes off her.

Naeun: I’m right, aren’t I?

                Yo