Dahyun snorted awake after seeing the sunlight penetrating through her eyelids, she gave a small groan in grogginess as she rubbed her eyes looking at her alarm clock ’11:13 AM… that’s a record.’ Luckily for the pale girl it was a weekend so she could sleep in as much as she wanted to… well sometimes, her parents will usually force her out of bed early in the morning, but since that didn't happen they were most likely not home.


While the girl was still half asleep, someone had opened her door making her turn her head seeing her older brother standing at the doorway with a bored look, “Mom and Dad aren’t home right now… but there’s still some leftovers from breakfast you can eat.”


The pale girl had given a small nod and laid back down after hearing her door close. She would usually hangout with Chaeyoung on the weekends, but since her smaller friend would be in the hospital for a few more days she had no clue what do with herself.


She grabbed her phone from her nightstand and started to individually text each member in their group chat wondering if any of them could hangout. She didn’t text Nayeon, because she was slightly intimidated by her and didn’t know her that well so she skipped over her, plus she had a feeling that Nayeon didn't want to hangout with someone lik her so she had texted Jeongyeon next.


The softball player had answered her text saying that she was working right now and wouldn’t be available until the evening. The pale girl sighed and texted Sana, who had said she was busy with her family right now and couldn’t hangout at the moment.


Dahyun groaned in annoyance as she flipped onto her stomach and began texting Jihyo, who said she could hang out which made Dahyun super happy, but a few minutes later the volleyball player said she couldn’t any more, because she had to take care of her younger siblings.


The pale girl gave a small yell in frustration and went to the next person in the group chat, which was Mina… who never texted the pale girl back. Dahyun was so desperate that she even texted Tzuyu to hang out, but the Taiwanese girl just left on her read, she thought to herself ‘Why did I even try texting her?’


There was one last person Dahyun hadn’t texted yet, her finger was hovering right over Momo’s contact… she was super nervous about texting the Japanese girl, they’ve never really talked to each other without the other girls around them. She kept hesitating to message the older girl, but her cowardliness won over her making her pocket her phone and leave her room to grab some food.


As she was walking down the stairs, her brother was sitting on the couch scrolling through all of the channels. The older boy asked, “Mom said to make sure you practice piano for at least an hour before you leave.”


Dahyun nodded her head as she grabbed a pancake that was on the kitchen table and started to chew on it, “Do you not have work Myungsoo?”


“Nah,” the boy said, “Mr. Lim had to close the music shop today, because his daughter was having a baby or something.”


The girl gave a happy smile and said, “Well tell him I said congratulations the next time you see him.”


Myungsoo gave a small nod as he continued to watch the TV in the living room, while Dahyun made her way into the family music room. Usually this room would be an office or a play area for kids, but instead the Kim family had turned it into a little music studio. 


In the middle of the room was a grand piano handed down to them by Dahyun’s grandparents when they passed away, the pale girl had kept the instrument in perfect shape trying to let it last until she graduates from high school. She never used it a lot since she had an electric one in her room, but she would use this piano when her mom wanted to listen to the pieces she had been practicing.


On the walls were lines of electric and acoustic guitars that her brother uses when he wants to practice and there was a drum set in the corner of the room… no one really knows why they bought it, but it’s there for whoever wants to play it.


The girl closed the double doors behind her and glided her fingers across the glistening piano keys, she sat down onto the piano bench and started to play a few notes. There was a piece that she had been learning recently as she flipped open her music book and whispered, “Nocturne by Chopin.”


She had only started playing the piece, because she heard that Momo had liked the way it sounded in a Korean Drama she had watched recently so the pianist had learned it… for no particular reason. 


She played the first note as it rang through out the tiny room and pressed the first note with grace and began to play the piece. People would describe Dahyun as a graceful swan when playing the piano, it seemed to make her mature for once which would shock her friends, her face would be relaxed as her eyes were closed feeling the music through her ears and hands, letting the notes guide her.


After playing the last note and letting it echo in the room, you would expect her to think she had done a good job, but instead she scoffed to herself and spoke to herself, “That chord in measure 34 doesn’t resonate enough.”


She went back to that part of the music and kept playing it over and over until it sounded how it should, but she groaned in frustration as she pressed down onto the piano keys making a terrible sound. Dahyun may not seem like a perfectionist, but when it came to piano she was a uptight with it and would always want her music to be perfect.


The young pianist had lost track of time, until her brother walked into the room and complained, “Dude… it’s been two hours now. I’m trying to sleep on the couch, but you bashing your piano is not helping.”


Dahyun gave a small sigh and apologized, while the boy closed the door behind her wishing that his parents would eventually get to add sound proofing stuff in the room. The pale girl got up from the piano bench and walked out of the room seeing that it was almost two-o-clock in the afternoon.


Her stomach had started rumbling and thought to herself ‘I haven’t eaten anything except for that pancake from earlier… I’ll just get food from outside.’ She went upstairs to change out of her sleeping clothes into some presentable ones, she picked out a large hoodie that she had stolen from her brother and some jogger pants that she wore when she didn’t have anything else to wear.


She looked out the window seeing that all of the leaves and fallen off their branches in her front yard, she smiled knowing that fall was beginning and the hot air would finally turn into a cool breeze. She grabbed her wallet before heading out of her room and walking down the stairs.


“Myung… I’m going to head out for a bit,” Dahyun said as she walked past her brother, “I’ll be back in a few hours.”


The older boy gave a small grunt on the couch as he went back to sleep. Dahyun put on her shoes as she closed the door behind her, she gave a small inhale of the fall breeze and began walking towards the town.


-


Sana was sitting in her kitchen eating her cereal minding her own business, she had just gotten the text from Dahyun asking if she wanted to hangout. The Japanese girl would’ve, but right now her family was her top priority right now.


Last night, Sana had stayed up all talking with Tzuyu on the phone about the upcoming Chuseok Festival that was happening in town. 


Sana gave a small pout as she had her phone next to her ear, “What do you mean you don’t want to go to Chuseok?”


“I never really liked festivals that much”


The Japanese girl furrowed her eyebrows as she flipped onto her stomach and tilted her head in confusion, “But you went to that festival in China Town? What’s the difference?”


“Well… because I’m from Taiwan and I wanted to celebrate that festival. I’ve never really celebrated a Korean festival before.”


“Then just come with us. All of the girls are going as well,” Sana said with a small smile thinking about making new memories with Tzuyu, “What are you so worried about?”


“N-Nothing really. I just don’t feel like going to a festival.”


Sana was about to say something, but then she heard yelling coming from downstairs, which Tzuyu had heard clearly on the other line and asked, “I-Is everything ok? I hear yelling?”


The Japanese girl gave a small sigh and said, “It’s fine… my parents are probably arguing about something, you know how divorced couples are.”


“I’m going to end the call… I lo-“ Sana was about to say it, but she had caught her self and stuttered, “I-I’ll see you at school.”


“Alright… don’t have any nightmares.”


Sana chuckled to herself, knowing that was how Tzuyu showed affectio and ended the call as she  gave a sigh in relief and whispered, “I almost told Tzuyu I loved her… I mean that’s good right?


Yes the Japanese girl did like Tzuyu with all her heart, but did she truly love her? She didn’t really know what love was, the people that she could’ve easily seen love from were divorced and literally yelling at each other downstairs ‘I’m impressed Mom hasn’t murdered him yet.’


Ever since Sana’s ex-dad had been staying at their place him and her Mom would get into a fight everytime they would see each other… well more like that Sana’s mom would start it, while her ex-husband would try and calm her down. Sana felt a little bad that he had to deal with the yelling, but he kind of deserves it after abandoning his kid and wife.


Now here was Sana munching on her Cheerios when she saw her mother coming down the stairs in her work clothes. Her mom had recently gotten a job as a secretary for some CEO, his name was Lee Soomin. He was really good-looking and from the articles that Sana had found, he was currently single.


Her mother was grabbing her bag and looked at Sana, “I’ll be home around 10:00 PM, since Mr. Lee has some dinner meetings. There’s some food in the fridge that you can heat up.”


The woman kissed Sana on the crown of her head as she made her way out, while the girl was still eating her cereal another person had walked down the stairs with messy hair and looked like he was homeless. Sana had given a small laugh, “You look like a hobo.”


Maro chuckled and whispered, “Is your Mom gone?”


Sana had nodded as she drank the milk in her bowl and put in the sink, while the man took a paper bowl from the counter tops and poured cereal into it. Sana looked at him, “You know you can use one of our bowls?”


“I would rather not,” he said with a terrified look, “Last time I did that your mother had a fit and almost kicked me out, so I bought my own paper bowls.”


The Japanese girl gave a sorry look and said, “On behalf of my mother… I apologize for her actions.”


The man took a seat at the table, “It’s fine… I understand where her anger’s coming from.” 


Sana sat across from him as she watched him eat the cereal. She had always been curious as to why he left her and her mother behind, she knew that they had divorced, because of her, but why did he cut ties with them?


“I don’t want to be nosy, but why did you cut ties with me and Mom?” Sana asked with a curious look, “Don’t you think that was kind of a… uncool move?”


The man sighed as he laid his spoon into the bowl, “Me and your mom were young at the time… maybe in our 20s when we got married, after that I had gotten a job as an engineer in Japan… when I found out that your mother was pregnant, I didn’t know how to feel.”


“We were still young and had plenty of time to have a kid… but I didn’t think it would be that soon, I mean, I just got a job and then taking care of a kid? I didn’t think I would be capable of doing both,” the man said with a regretful look, “After the divorce… I felt really guilty about just leaving you two on your own, so I agreed with your mother on child support and on her terms was to cut all contact with the both of you.”


“Mom… wanted you to stop talking to us?” Sana with a raised eyebrow, “Why?”


The man shrugged as he went back to eating his cereal as if nothing happened. Sana leaned back into her chair and started pondering on the possibilities of her mother’s actions. The two were quiet for some time, before her the man asked, “What about you? Have you found anyone that you love?”


Love… Sana never liked that word that much, it was such a strong word that was thrown around in today’s society like it was nothing. People could just say they love each other without even meaning it, Exhibit A: her parents. The Japanese girl gave a small sigh and said, “I-I do have someone in mind, but I don’t know to call it love.”


The man gave an approving nod and asked, “And why do you think it’s not love?”


Sana gave a small chuckle, “Why should I tell you? Clearly you and Mom didn’t love each other.”


“H-Hey,” her ex-dad said, “I felt love her,” then whispered to himself, “maybe I still do.”


“I didn’t hear that last part,” Sana said with a confused look, “Can you say that again?”


“It’s nothing,” the he asked again, “So why do you think it’s not love?”


“Because I’ve never really experienced… or felt it in all my time being alive,” Sana with an embarrassed look, “I mean... sure I feel love from my friends, but that’s like family love, you know?”


“If you want my take on it,” her father said with a small smile, “When me and your mother first met, it was strange… I had a weird warm feeling throughout my entire body and chills would run across my neck when we walked together, it eventually got to the point that my vision would blur and would only focus onto your mother.”


“Love is expressed and shown in different ways for everyone,” he explained with a happy look, “You just need to figure out how you portray that love for someone.”


Sana sat there not saying a word, letting what the man said sink into her head ‘You just need to figure out how you portray that love for someone.’ The thought kept echoing in her head. 


The man in front of her gave a small chuckle as he stood up from his seat and said, “I should probably get ready. I have an interview in a few hours.”


Sana gave a small nod in response as she watched him throw the paper bowl away and put the utensils in the sink. He went upstairs letting Sana sit alone at the table and groan in frustration, “Why does love have to be so complicated?”


-


Dahyun was walking on the sidewalk looking at the small restaurants she could eat at, she was craving a lot of things at the moment… tteok-bokki, jokbal, you name it, but the pale girl stopped in front of an old ramen shop that she had been going to ever since she was in elementary school.


When she walked in she was greeted by the usual person, Nakamoto Yuta, his family ran this Japanese styled restaurant . The boy had given a small smile, “Hey Dahyun… same thing as usual?”


The pale girl gave a small nod in response as she took her seat at one of the tables and looked around. The place was never busy, but there were a few customers scattered around. Her family would usually come down here to eat on the weekends, but that tradition slowly died out once Dahyun and Myungsoo got older, nevertheless the pale girl still visited every once in a while.


While she was staring off into space a bowl of ramen was placed in front of her, while Rowoon sat in front of her. She gave a small thank you as she started to slurp the noodles into . 


The boy asked, “So how have you been? It’s been a while since you’ve eaten here.”


“Yeah… my family’s been busy, me and Myung have been practicing our butts off, while Dad has been getting noticed for his comedic skills and getting invited to some talk shows,” Dahyun said twirling her chopsticks in her fingers.


“Must be nice,” Yuta gave a jealous smile, “Your family seems to be doing good, while my family has been running this restaurant for years and nothing good has come out of it.”


Dahyun gave an encouraging look, “Don’t say that. Your family is doing great, plus you guys make the best ramen in town.”


Yuta had given a small laugh in response as new customers walking into the building making him get up and say, “I should get back to work.”


The pale girl gave a small smile in response and continued eating her ramen in silence listening to the whispering of the customers and noises of boiling water in the back. The girl was staring at a flower shop that was across the street, she had walked by it a few times when going to school.


The woman who owned the place was super sweet and had given flowers to her when she was young, while she was in the middle of slurping her noodles she saw a familiar face walking out of the flower shop putting some flowers on display.


‘MOMO!?’ She internally screamed making her slurp her noodles too fast and started choking on them, which made all eyes in the restaurant look at her.


She gave an apologetic bow to all of the customers and made her attention back to the flower shop, where Momo was adjusting some flowers in a pot ‘That’s definitely Momo… but I didn’t know she was working there?’ Yuta had walked over to her table and asked, “You good? Sounded like you were dying.”


“Yeah I’m fine,” Dahyun said with an embrassed look, “I just saw something that surprised me.”


The pale girl kept staring at Momo from across the street, which Yuta had took notice of and said, “Do you know her?”


Dahyun looked at Yuta which a small nod, making the boy give a hopeful look and sat down in front of her, “I was wondering if you could introduce me to her?”


The pianist gave a confused look, while Yuta shyly fidgeted with his fingers and explained as he turned around to look at Momo who was now watering the flowers, “Well… that girl started working there a few weeks ago. She’s come here a few times to get food, but I never got her name.”


Then he turned back to Dahyun with a small smile, “So could you introduce me to her?”


Dahyun could see where this was going, Yuta had a small crush on Momo as well and was making the pale girl slightly jealous, so she said, “Uh… sure I’ll put in a good word for you I guess.”


“Thanks Dahyun,” the boy said with a happy look, “Just for that I’ll pay for your meal.”


Dahyun widened her eyes, “A-Are you sure? I brought money-“


The boy cut her off as he stood up, “It’s fine… my parents don’t need to know.”


Before the pale girl could protest he was already walking away from the table and paying for the girl’s meal. She gave a small exhale as she stood up as well after finishing her meal and thanking Yuta once again.


She was on the sidewalk now looking at the flower shop in front of her, as if her legs were moving on her own she started walking across the street to the flower shop. There she was standing in front of the shop looking inside seeing Momo sitting behind the counter looking at her phone, the pianist was contemplating if she should go inside, but another part of her was telling her it was too risky.


Dahyun gave one small sigh, before walking into the store where a bell had rung signaling someone had walked in. Momo was still looking at her phone and said, “Welcome to Kang Bouquet… if you need anything just ask me.”


The pale girl chuckled, “Yeah I’ll probably need some help Momo.”


The Japanese girl furrowed her eyebrows, knowing that familiar voice, when she looked up Dahyun had a cheeky smile making Momo smile as well and said, “Dahyun… what are you doing here?”


The younger girl gave a small smile, “I was eating at the ramen shop across the street and spotted you here… I didn’t know you worked here?”


“Yeah… I just wanted to make some money,” Momo said with a small laugh then asked, “Are you here by yourself?”


Dahyun gave a small nod and said, “I wanted to hangout with the other girls, but they were all busy today.”


“Why didn’t you text me?” Momo asked with a small pout.


The pale girl was stumped with the question, she was definitely not going to tell her that she had a crush on her and felt nervous texting her, so Dahyun said, “W-Well I can see you had work today anyways… so it wouldn’t have mattered.”


Momo gave an agreeing look then asked, “So are you here to buy flowers?”


“Um…” Dahyun had no clue what to say, in all honesty she had only gone here to see Momo and talk to her, but then she remembered what Yuta had asked earlier.


The pale girl didn’t want to do it, but the boy did pay for her meal so she might as well. She looked at Momo and said, “Hey you know that ramen shop across the street right?”


Momo gave a small nod, “Yeah, I eat there sometimes after work. Why?”


“Well the boy that works there thinks you’re kind of cute,” Dahyun said with a small hint of jealousy, “Probably wants to talk to you more.”


Momo gave a blank stare, as if she was trying to think about what Dahyun had just said. There was a brief moment of silence before the older girl said, “I’m down to be friends with him… but I don’t think I would have any feelings for him.”


The pianist gave a small nod in confusion, “Why?”


“I mean he is cute and all, but I don’t really like boys like that,” Momo said with a small blush on her cheeks.


This was news to Dahyun, she never knew that Momo liked girls instead of guys. She thought maybe she had a chance with the older girl and maybe liking her wasn’t a waste of time.


So Dahyun asked slowly, “So do you like someone?”


Momo had raised her eyebrows in shock hearing such a sudden question that her mind went blank for a few seconds, “Y-Yeah… I-I do have someone in mind.”


Now Dahyun’s hopes were slightly getting raised, “Is it someone in our friend group.”


There was an awkward silence between the two girls, while Dahyun was getting more confidence that Momo could probably like her, but her mind was telling her that it was totally unlikely.


Momo broke the tension by asking, “What about you? Do you like anyone?”


Dahyun had never openly admitted that she had liked girls to the friend group, except for Chaeyoung. She could’ve told Momo that, but she had no clue why she was hesitating… she knew that Momo liked girls, so why would the Japanese girl judge her?


“Yeah I have someone in mind,” Dahyun said with a small blush on her cheeks.


Momo was slightly excited and leaned over the counter top and asked, “Who is it? Do I know them?”


Dahyun gave a nervous chuckle as she backed away slightly from how close Momo got and said, “Yeah… y-you definitely know her.”


“I wonder who it could be,” the Japanese girl sitting back down on the chair behind the counter.


The pale girl gave a small nervous chuckle, while sighing in relief ‘Thank god she’s not asking anything else… or else I might be doomed.’ once Dahyun could see that the conversation had ended she smiled, “I should probably get going.”


Momo gave a small nod in response, “It was nice seeing you Dahyun… should come by again when you have the chance.”


Dahyun gave a small nod as she gave one final wave to Momo, before walking out of the store and quickly trying to walk home. There was a lot of things going through the girl’s mind right now, but she felt slightly happy knowing that Momo could really like her.


The pale girl gave a small smile to herself as she walked home feeling gleeful with a warm feeling in her stomach, she really hoped that this wasn’t false hope.