8 months ago………

She could still remember her first encounter with Hyewon. It was a typical one, meeting in a library one afternoon followed up by a friendship that formed between them the more time they spend with each other.

Even to this day, it still brought a smile to her whenever she thought of their first meeting. Back then she hasn’t yet taken up the position of the Student Body President. It was during exam weeks and as expected the library was filled to the brink with students studying, writing notes and borrowing books. The tables and lounge areas were also fully reserved.

It was just by sheer coincidence before she was about to left the library, already deciding to just study in her dorm, she glanced at a table near the windows area that she saw her. A girl sitting alone with her earpiece on. Her eyes were fully concentrated on something in her laptop.

What was more surprising to Eunbi back then was that other than the girl’s laptop and bag, her desk was relatively empty. No borrowed books, notebooks or papers whatsoever littered on top of it.

She decided right then to approach her.

“Excuse me? Is this seat taken?”

The girl glanced up.

Eunbi found herself stunned by the younger girl’s intense gaze on her and thought she saw a flash of recognition from the latter but that’s impossible. This was the first time she had seen her.

Probably mistook me for someone else, she thought.

The girl took an earpiece off and shook her head. “None at all. You can sit here.”

“Thank you.” She pulled out the chair and introduced herself “I’m Kwon Eunbi.”

“Kang Hyewon.”

“Sorry if I’m bothering your study just now.” Eunbi apologized even though she suspected the girl was doing something else rather than studying. She took out her own laptop and her notebook from her bag.

“You weren’t. I just finished my exam this morning.” Hyewon shifted in her seat. “I was……. actually streaming. So yeah that explain the empty table.” She sheepishly explained while motioning with her hands.

Bingo!

Instead, Eunbi merely lifted a brow at that. “I see.”

For the next couple of hours, the girls did their own thing with Hyewon resuming to her streaming and Eunbi revising for her exam the next day.

Maybe it was just her but Eunbi felt Hyewon kept glancing at her from time to time.

“What is it?” she asked.

“What?”

“You kept looking at me. Is there something on my face?” Did she accidentally smudge her lipstick or something or-?

Hyewon smiled at her. “No. It’s just you looked pretty when you’re concentrating there.” She winked.

Eunbi blushed. Felt her heart fluttered as well. “T-thank you.”

Was the girl flirting with her? That’s bold of her.

However, it had been quite a while since someone said that to her. She kind of like it.

Eunbi furrowed her brows at that memory. Was that the start of it all? Surely not. She had been on the receiving end on many compliments like that and yet none made her felt that way, even when it’s from her exes.

So, what’s different and what started it?

She really wished she knew the answers to both questions. At least she wouldn’t be in a constant misery and at least can pinpoint when it was, she started liking her as more than a friend.

Contrary to her friends’ ‘popular’ beliefs, Eunbi actually knew about Hyewon’s feelings towards her from the start, not recent as her friends would love to assume.

Even though she didn’t say it in words, her actions speak louder over the course of their friendship. From the secret smile and knowing glances they shared to the girl’s clinginess to her and the skinship she initiated which involved a lot of hugging and holding hands. Don’t even start with some of the sweetest compliments she ever heard.

So yeah, she wasn’t as dense as Hitomi and the others had claimed her to be.

What Eunbi herself never saw coming was that the feelings ended up being mutual on her part the more time she got to know Hyewon.

When the realisation hit her, it about nearly sends her panicking. Once she had calmed down, she made a silent vow to herself to not let the other girl knows of her feelings. Her friends as well because though she knows they will be supportive, they wouldn’t understand her reasons for not pursuing it.

She cherished her friendship with Hyewon too much to even crossed the line but the jokes were apparently on her when Hyewon was the one who did it.

“She’s doing it again” a familiar voice whispered out loud.

“Wonder if she’s thinking about her right now.” Another voice giggled.

“I think she is. Did you see that look on her face?”

That snapped her out of her musing before she then turned to the three owners of those voices. “I wasn’t!” she hissed, embarrassed that she was caught yet again zoning out.

Chaewon, Hitomi and Yuri blinked innocently at her.

“Okay. Then what did Minju said to us just now?” Sakura raised her brows while Minju quietly waited at the side.

All of their eyes were on Eunbi. “Ummm…...she was…. uhh” What did Minju talked about?

The prolong silence made Chaewon smirked. “She didn’t say anything unnie. So, you were thinking of Hyewon unnie again, am I right?”

Busted!

The other girls snickered.

Eunbi rolled her eyes, grumbling. “Whatever.” She took a bite of her burger.

That day the girls had decided to have their lunch at a well-known fast food restaurant and opted to seat on the second floor overlooking the bustling street. Minju who was seated near the windows glanced down. Something or more specifically someone caught her attention then.

“Oh!”

“What is it?” Yuri asked before looking down as well.

“Oh!”

Seeing the same surprise expressions on their faces, the other four girls were intrigued. “What are you guys looking at?” Eunbi asked. Then they all leaned their bodies forward towards the window looking down at the street.

Down below on the opposite side were three recognisable figures standing in front of a costume store. Wonyoung, Yujin and Yena were laughing as they wore those ears moving animal hats of a rabbit, dog and duck respectively. They were giddily pinching the paws, fascinated by the flapping of the ears on each other.

“Cute” Minju gushed. Her comment didn’t go unheard by the others as they secretly shared a brief look between them wondering who she was referring to.

Moments later they watched as a fourth girl exited the store holding a black plastic bag in her hand. Chaeyeon had a resigned look on her face as she looked at the three excited girls. They chatted for a while before peeking inside the bag, impressed by the content of it and then left the area.

“Well that’s interesting.” Sakura noted as they all sat back in their seats.

“Are you alright Yuri-ah?” Minju asked as she noticed her friend looked kind of down.

“I’m alright” she smiled reassuringly at them but they all knew she wasn’t.

Seeing Yena laughing just now made Yuri realised she really missed her duck. After the incident in the hallway, Yena didn’t approach her anymore. Even if they did accidentally meet each other, the former would just walk past her. Since then she had been feeling guilty for not listening to Yena’s explanation at the time.

Wanting to distract the younger girl, Chaewon talked about a topic they were all so curious about. “I’m wondering what they were doing at the costume store.”

“Excluding those hats, I’m guessing they bought something of a small or medium size considering the size of the plastic bag. What do you guys think they are planning?” Eunbi wondered.

“A costume party?” Hitomi suggested.

“This early Tomi?” Minju frowned at her friend.

“Even if it is, for what occasion?” Sakura added.

The next few hours were just them tossing out their guesses on what the four girls were planning.

***

Eunbi got her answer the next day when alone in the Council room, Sakura, followed behind by Chaewon barged in without knocking. Both were grinning and had an anticipating look on their faces.

“You might want to read this one.” Sakura handed her an envelope.

Curious now, she tore it open and read the letter. By the end of it, her brows shot up. Well, this is unexpected but also…

Interesting.

She recognised the name signed below as Hitomi’s friend. She always sees Nako with that tall girl, Wonyoung around campus and if she’s not wrong, she’s also close with Hyewon.

“So, how about it?” Sakura asked. Eunbi could hear the excitement in her friend’s voice. “I’m curious what kind of dance performances they’re going to give.”

“It’s not every day we have this kind of event. Unless you count the typical ones.” Chaewon rolled her eyes referring to the university mundane events. Her eyes then gleamed with mischief. “And from the looks of it, there’s a possibility she is also going to perform. Aren’t you curious unnie?”

Her cheeks reddened. “I’m not.” She replied vehemently to her friend.

Though if she’s being honest, a part of Eunbi was actually curious if she indeed was going to perform as she never saw her dance before. Plus, like Chaewon said, it’s not everyday students held this kind of event.

Might as well indulged them.

After signing and stamping up the letter, she gave it back to Sakura along with a new envelope.

She then remembered something she read in the letter that stirred her interest. “I wonder what they’re planning to do with an additional platform on the stage?”

Chaewon and Sakura just shrugged.

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What y'all think? 

Sorry for the late update. I have been resting a lot, organising my thoughts and well trying to stay sane. Want to thank you for waiting, subscribing and reading this. Really appreciate it. More chapters to come X)