"Don't drop the apple," Eunbi announced, lifting up the excitement in the area.

"That will be our first game," she started to grab apples to give for each pair.

"Thanks, " Minjoo got one apple on Eunbi's hand and turned to Chaewon.

"This apple looks fresh, makes me wanna eat it right after," the brunette plays the fruit in her hand. Chaewon chuckled. 

"Why?" Minjoo looked at her, confused about her reaction.

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away," the short-haired explained. 

"How are you going to take yourself away?" 

"I'm not a doctor though, I'm just a medical student," the taller shrugged.

"You're going there, anyway," Chaewon rolled her eyes.

When Eunbi gave them the signal to begin, Minjoo put the apple between their forehead.

"Just stay still, Kim Chaewon," Minjoo gave advice while staring at her partner.

"The prize will be anything the winners want," and that's the reason why Minjoo took the game seriously, Chaewon obeyed her partner since she also wants to feel the pleasure of getting anything wanted.

Never in Chaewon's life that a certain fruit could make her feel all tensed up like this. There are only a few inches covering her and the brunette's distance, but she understood the latter's desire. Even if the short-haired girl feels uneasy with their position right now, she wouldn't let this chance of winning slip away.

"Yah! Look at Chaewon and Minjoo, how can they do that?!" Yena pointed at the pair as their apple fell and they already lost.

"My back hurts! I'm sorry, Goeun unnie," Yujin detached from her partner, it's hard for them to hold longer since the tall woman was in a discomforting position as their difference in height were not balance for the game.

"We finally have winners!" Yena and Yujin clapped the loudest to cheer for their friend.

"They're a match made in heaven indeed!" Chaewon winced and pulled away from the brunette when she heard Yena shout out the phrase.

"Watch out, the apple almost touched the ground, " Minjoo caught the apple in her hand and looked at her partner.

"Are you really going to take a bite on that after we attached it on our forehead?" The short-haired girl frowned.

"Just kidding, I'm gonna have one from the unused fruits over there," then she walked towards the corner of the room.

Chaewon sighed, it also made her hungry.

 

 

"You look pale," while waiting for the next class to start, Yena sat beside Chaewon to observe her. 

The short-haired girl appeared to be sluggish than usual, slumping on every chance she has. 

"Do I?" the latter asked. "I'm still sleepy."

"What did you do during the weekend? We aren't even bombarded with works," they had a pretty decent rest at least, rather than those previous weekends.

"Insomnia, I guess," Chaewon responded, resting her head again on her arms that were leaning on the table.

"I had to spend my time waiting to fall asleep by reading," she sighed for the umpteenth time.

"Don't tell me you finished reading that whole book our professor required us to," Yena leaned closer to her cousin and squinted her eyes.

"I'm more than halfway at least," the duck gasped at her honest answer. 

"'At least'?" Yujin in with wide eyes at her friend, their chairs are just beside each other. "That's a lot, unnie!" 

Chaewon just yawned and shrugged as their next professor exactly came in when Yena went back to her seat.

 

 

The next day came and even if the sun isn't up yet, Chaewon already knocked on the door of Yena and Yujin's room with her outfit ready for school.

Yena opened it while rubbing her eyes, still not fully over from the slumber. 

"Chaewon? Why are you so early?"  

"It's so cold inside my room," she hugged herself and blew in the air.

Yena stepped aside to signal her cousin to come in. "What does our room make it warmer, then?" 

Chaewon looked at her cousin, and in a minute, her facial expression soften. 

"Can't I have a cuddle with my cousin?" 

The magenta-haired lass' response made her laugh. "You're gross." 

Chaewon gaped in awe after and held her chest as if she's shattered by her cousin's statement. "Excuse me, coming from you?" She remembered how clingy the latter is to her everytime they get on the bed.

"Y-You need more sleep!" Yena also seemed to be reminded her of that.

"Oh, you just got a girlfriend and you're already dumping your cousin," Chaewon pouted and crossed her arms.

"I-I don't have a girlfriend... I mean not yet," the duck looked down to avoid seeing her cousin's nasty reaction.

"You can introduce her to me and Yujin anytime," the short-haired patted Yena's shoulder and headed to her bed to rest for a while.

 

 

"Unnie, it's not even that cold, why are you still wearing a jacket?" Yujin took a glance at the surrounding, they're eating lunch at Chaewon's favorite restaurant, and it's an unusual sight for the latter to have outerwear even if it isn't winter season.

"I don't know, I just feel so cold," she uttered as she tasted the soup she ordered.

"Should we hire a paranormal expert at this moment?" Although Yena appeared to be genuine, Chaewon can't help but stop sipping at her food and glared at her. 

"Did you just think that I'm surrounded by some sort of nonsensical creatures?" Surely, she's not afraid of ghosts, hence she thought her cousin's suggestion is ridiculous.

 

 

 

When Chaewon finally got into her dorm room, she went straight to her bed and laid her arm on top of her forehead.

"Damn," she groaned as she felt her head hurting so bad. 

Until Chaewon found herself engaging in a deep sleep she never had these past few days.

 

 

After having a fulfilled rest, she woke up by the evening and had dinner with her friends, they let the rest of the day to pass by.

When Wednesday arrived, Chaewon didn't get out of her bed, aside from not having classes for the day, it's also because she isn't really feeling well. In which Yena, who's currently with her in the room, concluded that she is ill. 

"You should've rested since Monday, you know? You have me and Yujin to help you with the lectures you'll miss," deep inside, Yena knew it's partly her fault for not recognizing her cousin's well-being right away.

"Chaewonnie, so your vulnerability to illness isn't leaving you yet, huh?" Ever since they were kids, the short-haired's minimum exposure to unhealthy habits leads her to get sick already.

"Having a weak immune system ," she pulled more tissues from its box and sniffed hard on it.

"But I still don't wanna skip classes, besides, I'm not even that weak yesterday nor Monday, " Chaewon glanced at her cousin who's currently pouting, which made her giggle. She remembered how the magenta-haired concluded her odd feeling yesterday.

"I guess having the thought of you surrounded by ghosts is really ridiculous." 

Chaewon knocked on her head. "Glad you knew! I'm not scared though, maybe you are." 

"Yah! Get some sleep again!" Yena crossed her arms and looked away.

"You've been using that get-some-sleep card lately, is that how your girlfriend scolds you?" Even though she's sick, Chaewon can't help but cousin.

"I told you, I don't have a girlfriend," Yena said in a serious tone.

"Yet," she wiggled her eyebrows that made the teased lass roll her eyes.

 

 

"Chaewon unnie! How are you feeling?" After a few hours, Yujin finally woke up, it's pretty late compared to their normal routine but at least it didn't exceed past lunchtime.

"Worse ever since you entered this room," the tall girl pouted, Chaewon took back her words immediately as she was just kidding. 

"Aren't we going to eat lunch yet?" Yujin sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Yena.

"Give me more minutes then let's eat. Chaewon, we'll take out the food for you," Yena told them while typing something on her phone.

After a while, she stood up from the edge of the bed with the tallest. "Stay here, okay?" The lass lying on the bed was told.

"How can I wander around in this condition?" Chaewon raised her eyebrows and shook her head. She heard the door closed and footsteps fading away.

 

 

"Yena-chan! You're also here?" The girl sat beside Yena with her food. She also greeted Yujin subsequently.

After taking a bite from her food, the duck smiled and introduced the newcomer to the tall girl. "Yujin, this is Sakura unnie, our new gaming buddy. I met her in a gaming community site and actually learned that she's also a student in our university." 

"It's nice to meet you, Sakura unnie! I'm Ahn Yujin," she extended her hand and shook it with the former's.

"Just call me Kkura-chan, you too, Yena," Sakura gave them a warm smile which made Yena nod shyly.

They discussed a lot about the games that they're playing and exchanged usernames of it. 

The aura of their conversation is similar when they are with Chaewon, except that it's all about the online battlegrounds they've played.

"Let's play together some time. Actually, Hyewon and I will be at the PC Bang later, wanna come with us?" Sakura seemed to be excited about playing with her newly acquainted gaming buddies for the first time.

"Hyewon?" Yena wasn't familiar with the name.

"Kang Hyewon! The girl with a hoodie on that table," she pointed at a specific table at the corner that they easily recognized.

"Yena unnie, these gamers be having the visuals," Yujin was struck by the mentioned girl's beauty, it's making her a bit intimidated.

The pretty girl has a sharp sense of hearing as she stood up from her seat and went to the trio's table.

"Did I hear my name, Kkura?" Putting her arms on the table and leaning to carry her weight on gave that cool vibe within the woman.

"This is Yena and Yujin. I invited them to go with us after eating, so, are you guys going?" After Hyewon, she turned to the duo and waited for their permission.

"How about Chaewon unnie?" Yujin was worried that the short-haired hasn't eaten lunch yet.

Yena looked around as if she's going to find a solution from her surrounding.

Surprisingly, she did. She looked at a certain woman, and they made eye contact for a while.

"We're not going to let this chance pass, Yujin," she glanced at the taller, the latter furrowed her eyebrows.

"But we haven't even let Chaewon unnie eat her lunch." 

Yena once again stared at the woman. "Don't worry, someone will take care of it for us."

 

 

"Why do you have to knock when you left it unlocked? And what did even take you so freaking long?" Chaewon already bawled when she heard the door made its sound. 

"Calm down, woman. Your food is here, worry no more," the short-haired immediately looked up from her book when she heard an unfamiliar, well actually it's a familiar voice but not even close with Yena or Yujin's.

"Kim Minjoo?!" She pulled her blanket up closer to her. Shocked that the lass had to deliver her food instead.

"B-But, where are they?" 

"They went to have fun with their gaming buddies," the brunette started searching for plates and utensils to prepare the food.

"Seriously, they're going to sacrifice our friendship for those things," Minjoo chuckled at the short-haired's statement.

"Just let them enjoy it, let me know if you want to experience fun, too," she placed the dish on the bed tray and served it to the sick.

"What do you mean?" Chaewon raised an eyebrow while Minjoo wandered around her room.

She got to the balcony and noticed the already dried clothes hanging. She grabbed the fabrics and went inside again to prepare the ironing board and iron.

"I don't know. Maybe watch me iron your clothes while you're eating," the brunette started to place the cloth and plugged the tool on.

"H-Hey, you don't have to do that," Chaewon began to get flustered when the woman started to slide the iron on her clothes, she isn't used to seeing someone touch her things.

She stopped for a moment. "Are you expecting your friends to do this for you?" 

"I mean, I can do it on my own-" she wanted to stand and grab the clothes from her to do the job, but her body is still aching.

"Shh, you're still sick. Your condition might get worse, you know?"

Chaewon gave up with her thoughts. She's right, she doesn't wanna miss any classes in case.

"You don't have any afternoon classes today?" 

"I have but our professor told us she wouldn't be around today," Minjoo replied, she's done with ironing the clothes. She started to fold them.

"Just put it on top of the drawer," Chaewon said as she watched the girl doing it. 

Chaewon thought that Minjoo was way far different from what she's seeing right now. It may be required for a student like her to be caring but she didn't see this one coming.

Or it might be because of Yena requesting her to do it and she has no choice.

It made her confuse even more. Why is she so unsure of her when she's currently seeing kindness in the woman without anyone watching.

She always believed that dignity comes with the amount of audience around. The more people lay their eyes on you, the cleaner you obliged to appear. 

And that comes to her to study law and politics, particularly the latter. She also gains deeper knowledge about the bad side of politics and the dirty deeds of certain people when no one is around.

She's been very invested in these kind of things that she had almost ignored the fact that every person is different. 

Minjoo sat on an office chair and stared at Chaewon.

Maybe the belief doesn't apply to Minjoo, Chaewon should trust her more.

"You're always making me curious whenever you go silent and stare elsewhere. Your look is very intriguing," she stood to get the bed tray and washed the plates at the sink.

After putting the utensils on its place, she went to check on Chaewon's bookshelf. 

"You can't stay put in one place, huh?" The short-haired admitted that she's a bit annoyed and dizzy with Minjoo wandering around her room.

When the brunette finally got a book, she went back to sit on the office chair. 

"What do you want?" She looked at Chaewon intently.

"What kind?" Chaewon is concerned with what she'll say.

"Coffee? Tea? Or me?" Minjoo asked her in English which made the other girl confused.

"You?" She asked back, she must have misheard the last word.

But Chaewon just got more confused with Minjoo when she stood up again from her seat. "I'll be right back." She walked to the door and left.

After some time, the brunette got back with two cartons of milk in both of her hands. 

When she sat again, Chaewon chortled. "Oh, I thought you said-"

"Milk or me?" Minjoo looked at Chaewon's eyes with seriousness.

The girl just grabbed the carton and glared at her, which made the latter chuckled.

Minjoo got back on reading the book she borrowed from the shelf.

"What's your favorite idiom?" The short-haired girl noticed that she's reading the book of idioms.

"You are the apple of my eye," The brunette uttered without looking at her.

"Uhm, by the way, congratulations on winning the game," Chaewon smiled, Minjoo then glanced up at her.

"I'm not really good at it, if it weren't because of my partner." 

"You really didn't hesitate to eat fruits from that club, did you? I didn't even saw you asking permission from Eunbi unnie. I remember how she would always scold us when we grab something without her permission," Chaewon looked at Minjoo who just laughed at her sentence.

"I think it's not much of a big deal to her actually." The brunette gave her a small smile.

"Are you close to her?" Chaewon wondered how calmly the other thought of their leader when she looks intimidating on the outside.

"I think it's better to ask her than me." Minjoo sighed.

"Why? It's just the same anyway!" The short-haired really wanted to know. "Wait, are you lovers, by chance?" Her eyes got widen by her conclusion.

"N-No way! Ask her immediately if you ever see her," the girl waved her hands, signaling that her thought is ridiculously false.

"I should've asked her when she bought me mint choco ice cream as my prize," she pouted.

Minjoo peered at the book again and read more, they remained silent for a moment before she uttered something again.

"Aren't you going to ask what my prize was?" When she didn't hear any response, she stared at the girl who's already sleeping. 

She envied her for sleeping that quick, not knowing how the girl went with sleepless nights for a few days prior.

 

 

Chaewon opened her eyes, hearing a sort of voiceover coming from someone's phone, she assumed that it's from gameplay. She sat up from lying and saw Yena and Yujin tapping hard again on their devices.

Yena looked at Chaewon and smiled. "You're awake! We bought you dinner." 

"Still not going to forgive you from leaving me clueless a while ago."

"At least Minjoo took care of you, tell me if I'm wrong," Chaewon just rolled her eyes at her cousin.

"By the way, Minjoo also bought you something. It's the paper bag over there," she finally stood up from her bed and went to check it.

She grabbed the material from the paper bag, it's an apple. There's also a note inside, her lips formed a smile when she read it.

Have a bite! Don't worry, this apple won't keep me away from you. ;)

 

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                                               here's chapter 3 for you! have yourself a bite of fruits, stay healthy everyone! <3