-- one hour later --

          Chorong wakes up in her bed with cold sweat and a towel draped across her forehead. She’s her side and her head is hurting like hell, but she still has a hazy memory of what she saw before she out. Was it a dream?

          “Chorong unnie?” Bomi pokes her head through Chorong’s bedroom door and waddles over when Chorong gives a weak nod. It couldn’t have been a dream if Bomi was by her side, right? Or was that more reason to believe that this was all in her imagination? Chorong doesn't know where to start, but thankfully, Bomi starts for her.

          She chuckles lightly and perches herself on Chorong’s bed, nervously glancing up and down. Bomi warily places a hand on Chorong’s cheek and whispers, “I’m just going to say this before you turn around and see the damage but…” Bomi leans in closer and suddenly, Chorong feels like fainting all over again, “... there are two holes in our wall. One in your living room and one right behind you.”

          Bomi bites her lip and lifts her hand away from Chorong’s head, letting the poor soul turn around in slow motion. Chorong fights back another scream and instead settles for a helpless whimper at the realization that Bomi was not lying and this was not a dream. Not when she could feel the excruciating pain of reality that doesn’t even haunt her in her worst nightmares.

          “B-But why?” Chorong says wistfully and sits up only to finger the edges of the massive hole connecting her apartment to Bomi’s. She feels like she’s violating Bomi’s privacy from looking too long but Chorong had always been curious about what Bomi’s apartment would look like. Besides, it was only fair that she got to explore since Bomi did so on her own while she was knocked out.

          “I don’t know,” Bomi shrugs, “Hayoung invited me over for a sleepover the night before and the holes weren’t there then so it was my first time noticing it all too before you… fainted.”

          “Hayoung?” Chorong can’t even remember why that name sounds so familiar.

Bomi taps her chin and says, “I think you might have met her at the club. The tall, pretty bartender.”

          “Oh. Right. Her.” Chorong can’t remember why she decided to ask about her. It was nothing of importance compared to the fact that her apartment was basically broken. Then it hits her: Namjoo. That must’ve been why Namjoo was so sensitive when she went to her apartment. She had to know what happened!

          Chorong fumbles for her phone, murmuring, “Namjoo. Namjoo. I need to call Namjoo.”

          “I already did,” Bomi says meekly but still hands Chorong her phone.

“What’d she say?” Chorong looks hopeful with her phone limp in her hand and her eyes sparkling with a form of fascination.

          Bomi scratches her head, “Nothing much, really. It didn’t seem like she knew what happened and she was kind of tight lipped about everything.”

          “Tight lipped?” Chorong repeats in a low, threatening tone. She laughs so softly that Bomi gets shivers down her spine and all she can do is watch as Chorong presses in some numbers to her phone aggravatingly. “Hello?” Chorong snarls as soon as Namjoo picks up.

          “!” Namjoo says faintly in the background. There’s a whole lot of fumbling noise and hushed whispering before Namjoo is back on the line again. “H-hold o-on.”

          “No. There’s no hold on,” Chorong all but roars, “Not until you explain why the I can see my neighbor’s apartment without being in it right now!”

          “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Namjoo manages to say. Bomi shifts uncomfortably from her spot. She’s beginning to learn that it’s best not to anger Chorong.

          The older woman pinches the end of her nose, hopefully lulling herself. It’s never too good to be seething for too long. She doesn’t need to be looking at Namjoo to know she would be grimacing in guilt because like it or not, Chorong knew that Namjoo was involved in this fiasco.

          “You better explain to me Kim Namjoo if you don’t want me to die young.” Chorong flares and waits for all the muffled voices on the other line to break off. She hears the phone pass to someone else and Chorong is exasperated to know who has taken to speaking next.

          Eunji clears on the other end of the line before smoothly saying, “Hey, unnie! This is going to sound a little odd to you but don’t worry, it’s all just a big prank I’m pulling on you so–”

          “What?!” Chorong screams without hesitation. She can practically see Eunji flinch and hold the phone away from her ear. Though Eunji’s job had always been to annoy her at least once every day, she knew boundaries. And this was definitely crossing it. 

          “Shh… Just listen. So my girlfriend and I are going to Los Angeles for about, say, two weeks with Namjoo and Hayoung. When we get back, we’ll fix everything back up and then you can live your boring, peaceful life again. Sounds good?”

          “No.” Chorong growls, “I’m not waiting two weeks for anything! So you better get your here right now before I call our parents and make sure you’re locked up until you’re married or actually employed!”

          There’s a beat of hesitation but Eunji is back to herself before she lets Chorong’s threats get to her. “Ah, don’t be mad unnie. Enjoy the benefits of my prank. Bomi is a nice neighbor,” Eunji laughs wholeheartedly before adding, “Besides, we’re already at the airport so… seeyouintwoweeks!”

          With that, the line beeps and Chorong is left shouting at nobody. She looks up sheepishly at Bomi, only then realizing how embarrassed she was for showing her hidden side out of anger. It’s only worse because Bomi starts laughing right then, practically rolling across the floor in tears as Chorong watches in bewilderment. Did she really find this situation funny? Was she already reassured by knowing it was just Eunji’s prank? She had always noticed that Bomi and Eunji connected in an uncanny way, particularly in the jokes they made or talks they shared. But there was also an unpredictable transparency and silliness in Bomi that made Chorong unconsciously smile even in situations that she believed were impossible to find the bright side of.

          “So what now?” Chorong asks when Bomi finally calms down and starts gasping for air. She’s been listing off all the pranks they’ve pulled on each other before though Chorong isn’t sure if she’s really listening at some point.

          After being interrupted, Bomi scratches her chin aimlessly, “What do you mean, what now?”

“Well… We have holes in our walls so we’ve got to have some kind of arrangement, right?”

          Bomi nods slowly but then brightens like a light bulb, “Or we could be like roommates! But since we have two rooms we would be like… like…” Bomi squints as she thinks hard, her nose naturally scrunching in concentration along with the rest of her face. It’s dumb cute again. “Like ROOMSmates! ROOMSies!” And then Bomi is off rambling again and Chorong wonders why she was ever shy before. It seemed like Bomi could talk about anything for ages even if it wasn’t really going anywhere.

          Chorong sighs, “I suppose you’re right. It’ll only be for two weeks.” Chorong hates how sheepish she sounds when she says it, but how can she not when she’s just remembered that kiss again? It wasn’t chaste or a peck on the cheek or anything that she could imagine simple roommates sharing on a Friday night.

          She shakes her head to clear the mess of thoughts and tries to focus on what’s in front of her. Bomi has quieted down but she’s staring straight at her, a hint of nervousness expressed through the way she scratches the back of her neck. Her lips purse as if she’s going to say something but by then her eyes have dodged away to the corner of the room.

          Chorong sighs, “What’s wrong?”

          At the sound of Chorong’s voice, Bomi almost jumps up from her seat. There’s this glint of irrational fear when she manages to stammer, “It’s just… You aren’t going to like… kill Eunji when she gets back from LA… right?”

          Chorong sits in the silence. She can’t bring herself to lie. “I won’t make any promises.”

          Bomi laughs nervously but their conversation is cut short by a sharp ringing of the bell. There’s a faint shout from the direction of the door and Bomi scrambles to grab it, trying to explain herself on the way. “I ordered chicken while you were, uh, unconscious.”

          “Chicken?”

“Well, I thought it’d fit best with the beer I bought earlier,” Bomi stops at the door knob, “You look like you can use some alcohol.”

          Before Chorong can deny what she knows is also the truth, Bomi is already too occupied with the delivery boy who taps his foot impatiently as Bomi blunders to get out her wallet. It’s a quite fiddly interaction to watch with Bomi throwing in eccentric small talk and skittish laughter. The boy makes a hasty leave when he’s finally finished the transaction and Bomi is left standing at the door with the bag of chicken and an unnatural grin. She wobbles over to the table to set down the food then turns to Chorong with her same fidgety expression.

          “I’ll be right back,” she says as she repeatedly jabs her finger back to her apartment, “I’ll get beer from my apartment.” She’s about to turn and jog off when Chorong catches her wrist. She blushes and draws back immediately, startled that they even made contact.

          “I-I, uh… We can drink the beer I have.” Chorong chokes out. She’s never talked this fast before and her hands are already busy digging through the fridge, in frantic search for the aforementioned alcohol. She has to restrain herself from popping open the can and chugging it on the spot. “It’s a little hot in here, isn’t it?” Chorong chuckles awkwardly and moves on to setting up the chicken and two small plates, somewhat motioning for Bomi to take a seat.

          Bomi tugs at her collar that she reasons is the cause of the heat and stuffy atmosphere but when she glances up at sees Chorong with her hair grasped in her hands, she feels go dry. Bomi can’t help but stare at the way Chorong’s brows are furrowed in frustration, a black rubber band between her teeth and strands of short hair cascading down her light pink cheeks despite being forcefully pulled together at the back of her head. Bomi gulps and tears her eyes away, instead grabbing a chicken leg as a distraction. Why did she have to be so hot? It made Bomi’s nerves go wild; just when Bomi thought she was comfortable, she’d realize how beautiful Chorong was all over again.

          “So is this the kind of stuff you and Eunji do when you hang out?” Chorong asks suddenly, grabbing a piece of chicken while tilting her head towards the other hole in her living room. Bomi flinches a little when she notices that it’s bigger than the one in their bedrooms.

          “Not really,” Bomi finally replies through a mouthful of food, “Her pranks usually don’t go this far.”

“Oh, so pranks are still a usual thing for the two of you?” Chorong eyes Bomi warily.

          “Er, no? Well, yes. Kind of.” Bomi snags the can of beer closest to her and takes a long swig, avoiding Chorong’s gaze. “It’s mostly me though,” Bomi admits after a while, “I’m fond of little jokes and pranks.”

          “And my little sister is more one for planning and big set-ups, isn’t she?”

Bomi merely answers with a sheepish smile. She can’t argue that.

          “It’s really useful for me though. To have someone like Eunji as a friend.”

“Why?”

          “I’m a Youtuber,” Bomi pratttles escastically, “I usually just try out little random things like eat or dance, games, or sometimes even pranks so having Eunji there to make her appearances ends up being pretty helpful!”

          Chorong chuckles and all of a sudden, she’s all the more curious about the woman in front of her. Bomi was a different character compared to Chorong and her typical choice of friends, but it was also refreshing. Her outermost bubbly ecstatic personality made her interesting yet easy-going but there was also a mysterious side to her that Chorong wanted to touch upon. She wondered if that was where all her attractiveness came from… 

          “What about you? What do you do?” Bomi asks eagerly. 

          And so their conversation commences and much to Chorong’s shock, it’s easy. She laughs at all of Bomi’s ridiculous jokes, listens to her animated talking, and shares her own stories without much worries of Bomi not reacting in some way. She’s never been one for being talkative to people she barely knew but with Bomi, it felt like they’d been friends since forever. It was a warm, comfortable dinner shared with someone other than her family: a new but curious feeling blossoming. 

          “This was fun,” Bomi remarks almost shyly when they’ve cleared their dishes.

“Yeah. It had been a while since I’ve ate with a friend like this.”

          Bomi grins widely, “So I’m a friend now?”

Chorong just nods and feels her cheeks go pink.

          “We should do this again then,” Bomi suggests tentatively. She unknowingly bites her lip a little. “It’s nice to have someone who lends me an ear like you do.” It’s said rather confidently, but something about it makes Bomi look as if she’s shrunk. Like it had took all her nerves to muster out the confession. Chorong peers at her quizzically.

          “Well... it’s fun listening to you.”

“You really think so?”

          Chorong giggles, “You’re an entertaining person, Bomi and I mean that in a good way.”

          “It’s just– You see– I’m not the brightest and sometimes I babble a bit too much. It’s not too often that I meet someone who doesn’t drift off for a minute or two.” The small smile playing on Bomi’s lips grows, “But you were actually interested the whole time.”

          Suddenly, Chorong realizes how vulnerable Bomi is; perhaps that was the side of her that she had hoped to shed light to. Bomi was realer than anyone she had met. A pure soul that was bright and silly but never cowardly to her own insecurities. Perhaps, she wasn’t as different from Chorong as she had first thought. There was a sense of loneliness but also hope; a fleeting cry to be a little more sociable while they had the chance. A call, a push, an attraction, an unpredictable and engrossing feeling neither could explain.

          That’s how their night ended. Somewhat back to that familiar awkwardness they embraced before getting to know one another. Yet even while waving good night, there was a brief knowing that their bond could quickly be overturned into something closer than blushing and careful reluctance.

-- next morning --

          Chorong wakes up feeling stranger than usual. Maybe it was because of the alcohol from the previous night, but she pinpoints her grogginess seconds after opening her eyes. A small groan escapes her lips as she tends to the blaring noise of her alarm, but she manages to pull herself up and complete a full set of simple stretches. Despite her workplace’s flexible hours that allowed the typical worker to get up at a later time, Chorong preferred to have slow mornings that ensured that she could go a ther own leisurely pace. Which meant she would have to take into account her long showers, peaceful breakfasts, unhurried driving, and impractical consideration to parking her car. Sometimes she even took the time to get someone to park for her; it was a frustrating task.

          This particular morning, she took extra time to examine the hole again, though she fails to ignore the way Bomi was snoring softly on her own bed. Her blanket was haphazardly thrown across her body, her arms reaching off the sides of her bedframe. Chorong has to tear her eyes away from the sight of it all; the contrast of their lives and rooms was almost frightening. After her session of trying to get used to their new “living arrangement,” Chorong decides to be more quick-footed so she could start making her breakfast given she wasn’t feeling all too well. She shuffles her way into the shower after laying out her clothes, humming to herself contentedly at her normal peaceful start to the day.

          Even as she finishes up with her bathroom routine, she wasn’t thinking about much about anything, wrapping herself in a towel and stepping back out into her bedroom to fetch her clothes. And suddenly, she realizes her mistake.

          “Oh my gosh!” Chorong screeches at the top of her lungs, stumbling back as her foot caught against her own leg.

          Bomi was sitting on top of her bed, her legs bent out beneath her and her eyes straining to blink through the bright light from the windows. She has been dazed for a couple minutes when she woke up to the sound of water running, but that was quickly fixed when Chorong’s bathroom door opened and she stepped out in nothing but a towel. Bomi’s eyes widens without thought, her head about to explode at the sudden attack she got just after waking up.

          “Why are you still looking?” Chorong exclaims, clearly feeling violated at Bomi’s stares. Bomi shook her head wildly while her hands shot up to cover her face. She didn’t dare let her fingers part to take another peek.

          Bomi can’t help but shout, “Why are you even up at this ungodly hour?”

“It’s seven AM!”

          “Seven AM in the morning?!”

          “J-Just shut up.” Chorong splutters carelessly. Bomi hears a bang of the door shut and she lets her hands drop back to her sides. Chorong is back in the safety of her bathroom, pounding her fists against her head and trying desperately to erase the occurrence from her mind. That did not just happen. Please say that did not just happen.

          It takes quite a bit of time and pacing in the small washroom for Chorong to finally calm down and when she does, she makes sure to plan ahead. If she doesn’t want to bump into Bomi after that, she’s going to have to be a lot swifter. Chorong rapidly changes into her clothes after double checking that Bomi is nowhere to be found in her room. Then she tiptoes out into her kitchen, peeking at their second hole in the living room and seeing no other signs of her “roommate.” Perhaps she already left the apartment. 

          The last thing she expects is to find Bomi sitting patiently at her kitchen table, two plates of half-burnt toast and jam laid out in front of her. She’s munching on one of the pieces of bread, casually her jam spreader and motioning for Chorong to take a seat.

          “I thought we could have breakfast together since I’m awake anyways.” Bomi shrugs but watches Chorong keenly. The woman looks extremely uuncomfortable but she’s taken to sitting down. Bomi wonders if she should attempt conversation in this type of atmosphere. “Are you sick?” Bomi asks in concern, squinting at the way Chorong squirms, “You look really red.”

          Heat rises all throughout Chorong and for a second, she fears she’ll explode from embarrassment. Why couldn’t she just act normal? Actually, the real question was why was Bomi acting so normal? It was almost as if none of the chaotic morning events happened at all!

          Bomi blinks fruitlessly and then pushes the jar of jam into Chorong’s hand. “Have some. It’s good.”

          “T-thanks,” Chorong manages to say, though it’s soft and she’s not even sure if Bomi heard her. She takes the other spreader Bomi brought over for her and wordlessly scoops a considerable amount onto the toast. It wasn’t the breakfast she had hoped for and on a whim, she couldn’t help but think of a different breakfast she could have cooked for the two of them. She wondered if Bomi would’ve enjoyed her cooking. She’s almost positive she would have.

          “Hey...” Bomi calls out, not really meeting Chorong’s eyes as she speaks, “We can forget any of that happened.”

“Y-yes. T-that– That would be nice.” Chorong admits, then takes a big bite out of her toast. She hates that she almost chokes on it.

          “Great, then how about we have dinner together again tonight?” Bomi says almost immediately after Chorong’s slight green light. Bomi notices how Chorong looks taken aback and is about to take back her own words when Chorong gives her a crooked smile.

          “Actually… That would be really nice too.”

They chuckle a little when their eyes meet and suddenly, it’s all back to normal again.

And so that’s how Bomi and Chorong’s regular lives begin to intertwine… 

They set up boundaries… 

          “What’s this?” Bomi asks one night when she catches Chorong dragging in two long pieces of cloth into her apartment living room.

          Chorong lifts it up with a small grunt and subsequently, Bomi takes it into her own arms.

          “It’s curtains,” Chorong replies and grins warmly at the way Bomi fumbles with the folds of cloth in her arms. “I wanted to hang it to cover the holes.”

          “I’ll help you hang them then,” Bomi says firmly and tugs the mass of curtains up to the bedroom before Chorong can even go after her.

But also continue to bond…

          “Woah, you cooked this all by yourself?” Bomi practically shouts as she points to the full course meal on Chorong’s kitchen table. Dinner together has become a routine, but up until now it’s always been takeout or ramen if they were feeling extra lazy.

          Chorong feels her cheeks go pink again, “Yeah. I thought we could have a home cooked meal for a change.”

          Bomi stares at her as if she’s just saved the entire world and before Chorong can react, she pulls her into a tight hug. “Thank you, unnie,” Bomi whispers and leaves Chorong’s heart beating as she digs into the food.

          She finishes everything in between neverending compliments.

They still get awkward easily… 

          “I, uh, I accidentally knocked over one of your plants,” Bomi folds her hands in front of her, her head swung down in deep regrets, “Sorry.”

          She can almost picture Chorong’s disappointment when she hears a small sigh and for the whole day, it’s a little difficult. Chorong almost avoids her and she spends an odd amount of time outside despite it being the weekend, the prime hours for Chorong to just sit in front of her television and not move an inch from the sofa.

          “It’s okay, Bomi,” Chorong finally mutters during dinner, “You don’t have to tiptoe around it.” She lifts her head and looks Bomi in the eye. “In fact, I don’t mind a little head butting.”

          Bomi grins stupidly.

But eventually they’re close enough to bicker, almost like siblings… 

          “YOON BOMI!” Chorong hollers as she barges through the curtains, “DID YOU TAKE MY SLIPPER?” 

          Bomi scampers to get up from her bedroom floor, crumpling the mess of newspapers she’s laid out on her floor. But it’s too late. Chorong looms in front of her, hands on her hips and expression fuming. “Are you painting my slipper?” Chorong exclaims, pointing accusingly at the tub of pink and yellow paint next to her missing brown slippers.

          “Decorating, actually,” Bomi corrects, but decides that’s not the right approach when Chorong’s brows furrow even more. “It’s for my job,” Bomi emphasizes this time, clearly caught red-handed but not willing to give up. “Say hi to all my subscribers, Rong unnie!” Bomi picks up her camera and sticks it in Chorong’s furious face, swinging it back onto herself before Chorong can wack it out of her hand. “She’s got a mean temper, but I swear she loves me,” Bomi sings teasingly to the camera.

          She ends up running for her life.

And as for their relationship...  

          Somehow, they know they’re both interested. Yet somehow, they’re also both just friends. It’s that grey area of both familiarity and the unknown. Close to being something more but not quite knowing how to get there.

          They’re comfortable stuck in the middle. Almost too comfortable.

--