It’s one of those lazy humid Sundays brimmed with the occasional beer and endless hours of television. Chorong hasn’t moved from her couch since yesterday and she doesn’t plan on moving any time soon––that is until Bomi comes barging through their curtains wearing a bright green tracksuit and mischievous grin.

          "Aren’t you supposed to be filming another video right now?” Chorong asks dully, not even sparing a glance at Bomi sitting by her feet. “Why are you here?” 

          Chorong presses a little harder on her massage equipment, pinching away the sores in her neck. Bomi swats it away before Chorong can move on to her shoulders.

          "Eunji is back from LA!” Bomi blurts, lightly shaking Chorong to face her. There’s no need. Seconds after processing the news, Chorong is staring straight back at her, brows furrowed and eyes narrowed in tense determination. Bomi shrinks back into the couch a little at the sight. Suddenly, she feels the need to pry the plastic massage equipment from Chorong's tightly clenched fists.

          "So the little punk is back?” Chorong snarls between grit teeth. She purls around to grab the collar of Bomi’s sweater, unamused by the way Bomi squirms in terror. “Where is she?”

          "S-she said s-she’d d-drop by today!” Bomi flails in Chorong’s grip, face turning red from the lack of oxygen.

          Naturally, seeing Chorong angry scares the out of her but at the same time, she can’t help but find it hot. In fact, Bomi finds a lot of things about Chorong hot these days: she could be cooking, cleaning, working, watching television, talking, sleeping. Each little motion or change in expression piques Bomi’s unexpectedly keen eye and gives her masses of butterflies that make her stomach do somersaults. Today wasn’t any different and Bomi has to practically force herself not to kiss the irritation off Chorong’s pursed lips. It also helps that Chorong practically throws Bomi off the couch when the doorbell rings in that same, annoying way it does whenever Eunji comes over.

          "JUNG EUNJI!” Chorong releases a string of curses that Eunji can hear through the thickness of the front door. Eunji doesn't even get a chance to step inside the apartment when Chorong snags her ear and begins an endless monologue of scolding with the occasional death glares shot at Bomi every time she tries to in. Eunji, however, seems to be almost enjoying the whole situation. There’s a mysterious smile on her face that’s so obnoxious Bomi is sure Chorong overlooks the fact that Eunji is on her knees. It doesn’t really scream begging-for-forgiveness when there’s that familiar frisky glint in her eyes. Chorong sighs for what feels like the millionth time already and flips her hair back while pacing the living room floor. Bomi flinches a little when she jabs a finger in Eunji’s face.

          "You’re staying here.” Chorong demands in a quiet but lethal tone. Eunji looks curiously up at her.

          "Here?” Eunji repeats questionably, panicking a little at how Chorong was handling this whole thing. Typically her sister stuck to the silent treatment for a week or two before forgiving her over some chicken feet and beer, “You don’t want to stick me in a grave? Or make me move away? Or just never see me again?”

          Chorong clenches her jaw tighter, “You heard me. You’re staying.”

          "Er, I know this is bad timing, but what about the holes?” Bomi asks tentatively, stepping forward whilst trembling at the slightest movement. Chorong lets out another sigh and pinches the end of her nose as she always does when she’s cooling off.

          She responds in a tired voice, “I suppose it’ll be expensive to cover up and, um, I think I’ve gotten used to living with you.” She takes a second to give Bomi a crooked smile to which Bomi responds with two enthusiastic thumbs up. Eunji internally deadpans at Bomi’s inability to look cool pretty much ever.

          “But don’t think that means you’re getting off the hook,” Chorong snaps at Eunji, “I’ll put you to some use while you’re here.”

          Eunji holds up her hands in surrender, a faltering smirk on her face as she scrambles to get up from her knees. She unwillingly chuckles anxiously, “Woah, woah, woah, I don’t think I ever agreed to basically becoming your servant.”

          Eunji is immediately shoved back onto the floor. Sometimes, she forgets that Chorong can beat her up without breaking sweat. “You should’ve thought about that before making holes in my apartment and then running off to America!” Chorong spits then plops herself down on her couch as if nothing happened. She motions for Bomi to come sit next to her.

          Bomi feels a little out of place but what can she do with this tension still lingering in the air? They’ve been watching television for a couple minutes or so when Bomi realizes Eunji is giving her the side eye. Bomi shifts her position to get a better look at the words Eunji is supposedly mouthing to her, careful to make sure that Chorong is still occupied by the cheesy rom com drama that’s playing. She’s pretty sure Eunji is telling her to distract Chorong so she can escape when their risky conversation is abruptly interrupted.

          “Go get me ice cream.” Chorong barks, waving her hand at where Eunji is seated. There are some grumbles of protest but Eunji obeys, even peeling the wrapper off from the cold treat before politely placing it in her sister’s waiting hand. 

          “Anything else, princess?” Eunji mutters mockingly, exaggerating a bow while Chorong just sniggers at her.

          And so Eunji spends the rest of the day fetching items and trying to sit still in the stuffy apartment, occasionally sharing a couple laughs with Bomi until Chorong shoots glares at them. They don’t really get a chance to catch up with each other until Chorong finally decides to go to bed. Eunji is left on the couch with a plump pillow and warm blanket mostly because Chorong is too soft-hearted to let her sleep chilly during the night even if she’s upset with her.

          “Pst!” Bomi calls out through the living room curtain set up against the shared wall. Eunji tries to ignore her, pulling the pillows close against her ears and turning face down into the rough fabric of the couch. It’s pointless. Bomi tiptoes into Chorong’s apartment and presses her entire weight against her friend, forcing her to turn back around.

          “What are you doing here?” Eunji hisses in the irritable manner that comes out of her during early mornings; it was always difficult to wake her up. “And why are you wearing that stupid costume?”

          Bomi groans and yanks the rubber zombie mask off her face before scooting more comfortably onto Eunji’s stomach. “I thought I might be able to scare you for once.”

          Eunji stares blankly at her friend for a while but eventually bursts into familiar laughter, shoving Bomi off of her when Bomi’s own guffaws begin to pierce the quiet darkness. Eunji quickly shushes her, still smiling widely herself and resisting the painful chortles remaining in her chest. They agree that it’s best they stay quiet just in case Chorong wakes up to the sounds of their usual booming conversations.

          “So what’s it like dating someone as lame as my sister?” Eunji starts casually, not wanting to intrude but also curious of all the details. Bomi looks back at her with a puzzled expression but before she can even explain herself, Eunji cuts her off with a tentative, “You are dating her… Right?”

          “Uh… Not really. No.” Bomi coughs into her arm, her eyes checking back on her frustrated friend. “But we’re in a good place,” Bomi justifies, flailing her arms slightly with eyes sparkling in hopeful lightness. Eunji sighs in obvious disappointment but frankly, she can’t say she’s all that surprised. Not when Bomi was still dumb enough to attempt to frighten her in an old Halloween costume that Eunji had worn herself last Halloween.

          “So what’s your plan?” Eunji asks. She refrains from being eager.

          Bomi hums in thought, tapping her finger against her chin. purses in concentration before confidently answering, “I don’t have one.”

          At this point, Eunji has had enough. She throws herself at Bomi without a second to lose, practically tossing Bomi back through the curtains to her own apartment as if she was yesterday’s bag of garbage. Bomi tries not to squeal when she rolls into her own living room, only grunting when Eunji’s hand peeks out from the hole to chuck the flimsy zombie mask right at her.

          “Talk to me after you’re more than just a cute face.”

          “So you still think I’m cute?” Bomi teases, trying to enter Chorong’s apartment again only to be blindly propelled backwards by Eunji on the other side without hesitation. Bomi resists the urge to wail at the top of her lungs and instead sticks to pretending she’s dead on the floor: arms, legs, and hair sprawled out on the wooden planks. She half-heartedly hopes that Eunji will find her there and freak out, but when she finally pulls herself up from the ground and sticks her head through the curtains to take a peek at Eunji, Bomi finds her fast asleep.

          “Good night.” Bomi whispers and pretends to pat Eunji’s head with her finger from a distance, grinning stupidly to herself before trotting back to her own room.

-- next morning --

          Ding dong! Bzz! Bzz!

          Bomi wakes up to the sound of her phone and doorbell simultaneously blaring against her eardrums. She rolls groggily onto her side and blinks through her faded vision. Her limbs stretch out off the bed frame, wiping away some excess drool on her face before snagging her phone off the wooden bed stand. Bomi figures she should answer the mountain of texts she received first but is briefly drawn away by the sharp ringing of her doorbell before she can even light up the screen. Honestly speaking, she wasn't the type to check her phone anyways.

          “Who is it?” Bomi hollers, leaping over piles of clothes and random items that block her path to the front door.

          She hears a faint voice call out a name but Bomi has to peer through her door’s peephole to recognize who is visiting her in her definition of an early morning. Upon seeing the guest, Bomi automatically flings open her door and excitedly invites her inside, clearing the obstacles she dodged earlier with her feet hurriedly.

          “So why are you here, Naeun?” Bomi finally asks after offering Naeun a seat on her stained couch. Naeun looks around the apartment warily, though it’s not much different from Eunji’s personal space back at their own home.

          “I heard Eunji is staying next door.” Naeun remarks shortly. Her eyes trail Bomi’s movements to the kitchen but other than that, Naeun does not move a muscle.

          “Ah… It must’ve been her that was exploding my phone with texts…” Bomi recalls Chorong telling Eunji to get ready to follow her to work the next day. She wouldn’t be surprised if Eunji was in charge of making breakfast and driving Chorong around. “I suppose she’s out right now.” Bomi concludes, bringing out an immense array of drinks ranging from orange juice to hard liquor.

          Naeun skims her eyes across the peach yakult and banana milk before settling for the canned coffee resting in between. She pops it open leisurely, silently peering at her own nails and not showing much interest to the rest of her surroundings. Bomi fiddles with her hands; it’s not that she’s particularly uncomfortable with Naeun, but the woman had always been a little difficult to pry because she preferred the silence. Bomi internally applauds Eunji for her persistence and unflinching determination when it comes to love.

          “Maybe I should give Eunji a call,” Bomi babbles, hopping up from her seat and somewhat spinning in circles in search of her phone. Naeun glances up indifferently from her coffee, unwinding her legs and leaning slightly forward to reach into her purse.

          “I’ll call her,” Naeun says firmly then peers down at her phone to punch in a few numbers. There’s barely enough time for the device to start beeping because Eunji answers immediately. Bomi can hear the eagerness in her voice without even being the one to have the phone.

          Naeun starts speaking calmly, a thin smile subconsciously spreading across her face just by the sound of Eunji’s voice. “Where are you?”

          “What? Naeun? Oh my gosh… Are you at Bomi’s apartment?” Eunji exclaims on the other end in exaggerated disbelief. Naeun hears the sound of cars screeching past her and figures Eunji is driving. “I can’t believe you actually went to see me! I had no idea!”

          Naeun lifts a brow, clearly no longer amused. “You begged me to come.”

Eunji pouts on the other end.

          “But didn’t you miss me anyways?” Eunji insists.

“Not much,” Naeun responds bluntly, “I actually got a lot of reading and painting done while you were gone.”

          Bomi snickers at Eunji’s loud bawls of complaint ringing from the phone. Even Eunji was just a small puppy barking at their master when making small talk with Naeun. Bomi is too distracted with her own thoughts when Naeun shoves the phone into her face. She looks at Naeun helplessly but is forced to take the call nevertheless.

          “Hey buddy! I’m on my way to pick up Chorong from work right now because she wants lunch at home.” Eunji starts cheerfully, but Bomi knows her too well. She’s being cautious and there’s no doubt Eunji is just waiting for the perfect timing to ask her favor. “So if you just could pretend like Naeun and I aren’t dating when we get there, that would be perfect.”

          Bomi groans into the phone dreadfully, her back sliding down against the couch. “You know better than anyone I can’t lie! Especially to my crush! Can’t you already imagine the mess I’ll be in front of her? I’ll be rambling my head off except my head is going to be so red from blushing that I’ll look like a talking tomato that just won’t shut up and––”

          Eunji stops her without missing a beat, “First of all I’m the one who at telling lies, not you.” She feels more at ease when Bomi sighs in defeated agreement. It gives Eunji the heart to be a little more playful. “And besides, you already look like a talking tomato when you flirt with her so my unnie won’t even be able to tell the difference.”

          “I do?” Bomi exclaims and goes full panic mode.

          The next time Eunji hears a voice on the line, it’s Naeun’s. She somehow sounds unamused and entertained at the same time. “I’ll have her calmed down in five minutes max.”

          “Love you.” Eunji sings, beaming in anticipation. Except she’s left to herself when Naeun abruptly hangs up. Bomi can’t help but wonder how often people believe their relationship is one sided despite Naeun’s own overwhelming but noticeably more discreet adoration for Eunji. There’s a shift in the atmosphere and Bomi is unsure if it’s because Naeun has just got off the phone with Eunji. It’s an almost unnoticeable difference but Bomi knows Naeun well enough to pinpoint the shimmering brightness in her movements. It makes it easier for Bomi to initiate light chatter until Eunji gets home.

          Chorong enters first, Eunji clattering close behind with her hands full of plastic take out bags and Chorong’s lofty black purse. The smell of food wafts to Bomi’s side of the apartment in a matter of minutes and soon enough, Bomi’s head pokes through the curtains to greet the returning siblings. Eunji grins widely, nudging Chorong’s shoulder to acknowledge her best friend. Chorong gives Bomi a shy glance and ushers her over, not able to take her eyes off the beaming girl who is now messily scampering over to help unpack their takeout. 

          “Slow down,” Chorong nags softly before easily popping open a lid that Bomi was struggling with, “Don’t try to muscle your way through everything.”

          Bomi doesn’t even hear her because she’s now too occupied with picking up the steaming food with her fingers, expressing her satisfaction with a cheerful jig and excessive expressions. It’s then that Chorong realizes that Eunji has disappeared and is now standing in front of the curtain, back turned against the kitchen. Is she talking to the wall? Chorong’s head tilts subconsciously in keen bewilderment, seconds from interrupting and asking what mischievous scheme Eunji was cooking up now when the curtain lightly pulls open. Bomi finally detaches from the food to watch Naeun enter the apartment, eyeing Eunji and Chorong warily.

          “Oh, um, that’s my, uh, friend and I guess your old neighbor,” Bomi blubbers with full of takeout. Chorong whips her head to face a flushed Bomi, half disgusted by her table manners but also too irritated at herself for overlooking those flaws because Bomi was just impossibly dumb cute. How could she not be with those chubby cheeks and innocent doe-like eyes? Naeun bows politely, a tint of a smile on her lips just like always when greeting Chorong.

          “It’s so nice to see you again,” Chorong says fondly and gestures for her to take an empty seat.

          Eunji pouts, “Then where do I sit?”

          “Figure it out.” Chorong remarks but ends up giving up her seat for her little sister anyways. She pulls up a wooden stool for herself but as she’s doing so, she can’t help but find her eyes wandering toward Naeun again. Chorong had taken a liking to the woman when she was her neighbor, but now, watching the way she giggles at Bomi’s jokes or bumps shoulders with her playfully, there’s a burning sensation squirming in her chest. For now, Chorong decides to ignore it.

          “So how’d the two of you meet?” Chorong asks casually.

          Bomi pauses chewing. “Who? Me and Eunji? Me and Naeun? Eunji and Naeun?”

          Eunji raises a brow in suspicion but muffles a chuckle knowingly. By the way Naeun meets her eye, Eunji can tell that her girlfriend has caught on as well.

          “Uh… I mean…” Chorong feels herself burning up. She had been concentrating so hard on Naeun and Bomi that her little sister had completely slipped her mind. “A-All of you.”

          “Bomi and Naeun met in college for a group project,” Eunji butts in, beaming innocently at Chorong. It’s no mistake that she’s directed the attention back to the two of them. Maybe this was her chance to properly provoke Chorong’s jealousy. Eunji forks another bite of food to cover up her sly gaze.

          “We had this awesome group chant too!” Bomi pipes excitedly, flinging her arms around to poke Naeun on the shoulder. Naeun is usually not one to warm up to jokes and playfulness but for some reason, Bomi has always been the exception for that; Naeun adapts accordingly.

          "A group chant?” Chorong questions and immediately regrets asking because now Bomi is whining in that cute little voice to beg Naeun and all Chorong can do is clench her plastic fork so hard, it snaps between her fingers. Eunji notices and snickers.

          “Let’s just show her the first part,” Bomi dangles off of Naeun’s arm, blinking with an angel-like glint in her eyes, “Pwease?”

          Naeun laughs wholeheartedly and is about to give in to Bomi’s antics when Chorong shouts, “Just shut up and eat your food, Yoon Bomi!” 

          Bomi peers up at her in shock, flustered and puzzled by Chorong’s sudden outburst. Bomi has no clue what she’s done wrong but she feels guilt wrap around her head nevertheless. She attempts an apology, but Chorong beats her to it, red-faced and murmuring a mixture of words that nobody can make out. She’s so embarrassed with herself, she has no idea what to do and suddenly she hates herself and Bomi for making her feel this way.

          "I-I’ll be in my room,” Chorong rambles and stumbles over the wooden stool. Bomi catches her wrist before she can dive face-first into the floor. Chorong freezes for a second but eventually scampers off hastily.

          “Did I say something wrong?” Bomi blinks when she hears the door shut. Eunji just shrugs and goes back to her food. Bomi feels uncomfortable for the rest of the night.

          Chorong distances herself from Bomi for the next few weeks and subsequently, Naeun starts visiting more. Chorong blames work for her mood swings and for why she now spends her weekends in her office but a small part of her knows it’s just an excuse. For what, she can’t quite put a finger on, but observing Naeun’s slender beauty and graceful movements makes her feel like she can take a guess. She’s got half the mind to just confront Bomi and demand she turn Naeun away, but she reasons she’d rather suffer alone than look like an irrational madman to Bomi. Which was why Chorong averts herself from these Naeun-filled days.

          Except sometimes, it's just inevitable…

          It’s a nice Friday when Chorong realizes that Eunji is driving her crazy more than she’s helping so Chorong gives her an offday to catch up with her friends. It’s not that Chorong had been preventing that in the first place, since she hasn’t got the heart to make her little sister become an outcast amongst her own friends, but Eunji is strangely “obedient” even while being a pain in the so she had been laying low. Besides, she and Bomi got to see each other every day thanks to the living arrangement so Eunji wasn’t particularly lonely.

          “Hey,” Bomi interrupts Chorong’s train of thought and joins her casually on the couch.

          She feels a little awkward being there and the words feel stuck in because Bomi has noticed Chorong’s deliberate distancing. She wonders what the reason is, but can’t seem to figure it out on her own. Bomi’s never been good at things like this. “Want to drink some beer and see who can burp the loudest?” Bomi suggests randomly, trying to break the ice. It makes Chorong whips her head away from the television to stare at Bomi disapprovingly. She doesn’t need to say anything to reject the whole plan. 

          But Bomi continues anyway. “I’ve got about five cans in my fridge and since Eunji got you a whole pack ye-–” 

          “Why don’t you just go drink with Naeun?” Chorong snaps irritably, not even realizing that she cut off Bomi’s sentence. She regrets what she said right after it leaves . Bomi peers at her in bewildered surprise and all Chorong can do is press her lips into a thin line.

          Bomi scratches her head, “Well… Naeun is out with, um, friends today.” Bomi’s voice trails off as she recalls her promise with Eunji not to reveal Naeun and Eunji’s dating reality. They were probably excited for their time alone for the first time in weeks and Bomi wasn’t about to ruin that for them with a slip of her words.

          "Oh. So she does have other friends.” Chorong grumbles passively and this time she doesn’t feel like taking it back. It annoys her that Bomi can just sit next to her as if she hasn’t been inviting Naeun over every other day and dragging the goddess-like girl into their life without permission. Well… Not that Bomi needed Chorong’s permission. For some reason, that makes Chorong feel worse.

          “Um… Do we have a problem, Rong?” Bomi asks tentatively after an odd break in conversation. Chorong wants to shake her head but instead she sighs, chest bursting with emotions. “Come on. If we have a problem, we should talk about it.” Bomi tries again, feeling her voice raise an octave. She’s not a patient character by all means and Chorong’s slow response is starting to press some nerves.

          “YES,” Chorong shouts abruptly. She surprises even herself. “We have a problem! It took long enough for you to notice with that thick skull of yours.”

          Her face goes red and suddenly she can’t think straight. The lines are blurred and all she can really see in front of her is Bomi. She hates that Bomi still looks so damn cute with her brows knitted even when they’re arguing.

          “Maybe it would’ve passed through my thick skull sooner if you were mature and just told me what’s bothering you.” Bomi counters, eyes flitting across Chorong’s expression.

          “Mature? We’re going to talk about maturity right now?”

“Yes. Why?”

          Chorong scoffs violently, “You’re the one who just suggested we see who burps the loudest and you’re saying I’m the one who’s not mature?”

          “Well sorry for trying to make things less awkward!” Bomi throws up her hands in frustration, “And if you really didn’t want to partake in my so-called immaturity, you could’ve just said so politely.”

          It hits a nerve. Chorong has been polite all her life, but now she can’t even control the words that are coming from . “Don’t you have any sense? Can’t you tell I’m just not in the mood?”

          “You’re right. I don’t have any sense, but I don’t believe your own little sister could guess your mood swings these days.” Bomi feels Chorong’s hot glare on her but she’s no longer scared. In fact, this whole argument didn’t even feel real.

          "Oh yeah?” Chorong bellows.

“Yeah!” Bomi echoes back, hopping up off the couch boldly.

          “I’ve spent hours with Eunji these past few weeks just like you’ve spent hours with Naeun and–”

"What’s with you and Naeun?” Bomi jabs a finger in Chorong’s face and freezes when she sees Chorong stiffen.

          "You want me to tell you what’s with Naeun and me?” Chorong asks under her breath, fists clenching tighter. “Because that’s not the right question.”

          Bomi doesn’t dare break eye contact. “Then what’s the right question?” Bomi manages to croak.

          “What’s with you and Naeun?” Chorong demands and suddenly it feels like a weight has been lifted off her chest. “Giggling together, telling her all your jokes, inviting her over to our dinners, teaching her your gags…” Chorong crosses her arms before saying between grit teeth, “... Flirting.”

          Bomi almost chokes on air. Flirting?! Her and Naeun? She feels like she’s about to burst from dumbfounded distress. “What makes you think that? And why would you even care?”

          “Why would I even care?” Chorong repeats. Her tone is high pitched and strained but there’s so much to say and so little time to think. “I’ll tell you why I care. And if your thick skull doesn’t understand this, I don’t know what will so listen carefully.”

          “Try me.” Bomi snarls, “Because I can’t think of any reason you would even bat an eye at my relationship with Naeun, esp–”

          “BECAUSE I LIKE YOU!” Chorong hollers. “I care because I like you. I hate Naeun because I like you. I like you and your immature, ignorant, silly, thick-skulled, dumb cute . THERE. I SAID IT!”

          See, if Bomi was properly processing any of this, things probably would’ve gone differently. But for Bomi, they were still in this argument and Chorong had just combined all possible insults and blew it up in her face. “WELL, GUESS WHAT?” Bomi shouts.

          “WHAT?”

          “I LIKE YOU TOO. I like how uptight, irritable, blindly polite, and slow you are and you annoy the living hell out of me!” Bomi talks so quickly, Chorong is surprised she even understood what was said. And for good measure, Bomi adds, “And it doesn’t help that you’re practically a grandma who gets up way too early in the morning, spends too much time talking to a plant, and can’t even park their own car!”

          "I can park my own car!” Chorong argues, fuming, “In fact, I can park better than you can!”

“No, you can’t!”

          “Yes, I can!”

“No!”

          "Yes!”

          “Urgh!” Bomi howls in frustration and storms off to her apartment, not stopping until she reaches her room and slams the door. She hears Chorong’s door slam even harder seconds after. It takes a while for both parties to calm down, but when the dust settles, they realize what they had just said to each other. 

          And suddenly, the world feels like it’s ending.

-- gosh this chapter took long and it's still really rough but cheers to chobom finally confessing their feelings! --