D- 5

 

"I love you," she said to the beautiful girl in front of her, they'd gone through so much in the last few months and finally saying those words made her feel so alive, everything about her lover was perfect. 

"Pathetic," spat out Jinsoul, all trace of the sweet Jieun gone from the now bored features of the young actress in the making, "is that all you have?"

"Oh c'mon, Jinsoul! You can't just say that every time we reach this scene, you have to say it back!" shouted Jungeun, completely out of character. Suddenly, the fake bushes were pushed to the sides by Yerim as Yeojin all lights in the theater. 

Everyone in the room could only sigh at the sight of the two lead actresses arguing once again. This was the third time today and the crew had had enough, the play was supposed to be ready in five days and everything pretty much was except for the ending scene. 

Haseul had put so much of herself into the story only to have the two best actresses in their school butcher it with their lack of emotion and very evident animosity. Ever since Jinsoul and Jungeun had been chosen as the leads she knew it was going to be hard, but she thought they'd gotten over that rocky start by now, after all, they'd been practicing the play for over a month. 

"Jungeun, Jinsoul stop," said Vivi, the director of the play. "Jungeun, as much as I hate to add fuel to the fire of your little feud, Jinsoul's right, that I love you made me feel nothing," she said in a serious tone, this was her and Haseul's last project before graduating, everything had to be perfect. Jinsoul instantly took the opportunity to make fun of her co-star. 

The idea for the story came about after a heated (in more than one way) session of discussing what the two girls could do that was as innovative and classical as possible, they settled for a sapphic modern remake of a combination of romantic classics. At first, it was hard to convince their professor to support them but after a few interesting discussions and providing the professor's daughter, Hyunjin, her own reserve of bread for a year and a spot on the play, they were ready to begin with the action. 

After seeing the victorious smirk on Jinsoul's face, Haseul couldn't hold back her tongue, "but, Jinsoul, Jungeun's right too. No matter what happens you have to follow up with your lines, the show must go on!" she said, raising her arms up in the air with all her passion. It was now Jungeun's turn to mock Jinsoul, sending a flirty wink her way before laughing out loud.

"Umm... Unnie, we have to leave so that the next group can practice. We have the theater till 5 and it's already 4:45," said Chaewon, she was in charge of logistics, she also wanted to be in charge of food but Hyejoo covered that before the girl could even come close to cooking anything. 

"Yeah and Heejin and I have to go to a meeting with the dance team," said Sooyoung, she was a performing arts major but somehow found herself entangled in this whole play thing. You can blame her girlfriend Jiwoo for that. 

"Okay everyone, let's get out of here before we get kicked out again," said Haseul collecting her things before taking Vivi's hand in hers. They shared a knowing look before bidding everyone goodbye. 

Heejin and Sooyoung hurriedly got out of the room, it was Yeojin and Yerim's turn to make sure the equipment was collected so they got right into doing that, Chaewon and Hyejoo decided to help too after Yerim promised them they'd play games later. 

"You happy now, Jinsoul? We only have one week left and all you can do is complain?" said Jungeun, louder now that the director and writer were out of the room. She took three steps away from the other girl but didn't notice she was getting really close to the edge of the stage. 

In a swift motion, Jinsoul hurriedly grabbed Jungeun by the waist to make sure she didn't fall, their faces were really close and before Jungeun could do anything stupid, Jinsoul steadied her body and said, "you can't act and now you can't even hold your balance, pathetic."

Then Jiwoo came running in to make sure her best friend was okay, Jinsoul looked at them with a smirk before joining Hyunjin to leave the place. 

"Ugh, why is she so full of herself?!" Jungeun huffed before taking up Jiwoo on the hug she'd offered her. 

"You gotta admit, Jungie. You were pretty lame today, you barely looked her in the eyes and you almost fell off the stage, that's TWO embarrassing moments right there," Jiwoo said, barely holding her laughter. She knew her best friend was weak for pretty girls, but she'd been able to overcome everything when it came to Jinsoul, well that was until now. 

"I know, Jiwoo-yah. I'm an idiot, aren't I?" she said in a rhetoric way but Jiwoo didn't catch on, "that my friend, you are."

 

 

 

 

 

"Unnie, why are you always like that to Lip-unnie?" asked Hyunjin, in the beginning, it was pretty entertaining to see Jungeun so nervous around her best friend but it'd been a month already and as much as they enjoyed the ever so present bickering of the lead actresses, they also really enjoyed the play and it was taking too long for the girls to do one round-up well. 

"She's so infuriating, Hyun-ah! Like, no one's going to buy that lame I love you," Jinsoul said, making fun of the way Jungeun has acted earlier, "there's like zero emotion there, I can't act with someone who doesn't take their role seriously." 

"Yeah, I don't know what's wrong with her, either. She had no problem last year when she and Jisung had a kissing scene, but that's not the point, you have to help her!" Hyunjin said, her best friend could be very stubborn sometimes.

"I don't have the time for that! So, are we playing or not? Don't tell me you already gave up," Jinsoul said, making her way to the dance machines. 

"Don't even think about it!" said the younger girl before running after the blonde. 

On the other side of the mall, the younger girls had been playing all afternoon. After losing count of the number of times they'd lost to Chaewon and Hyejoo, Yeojin and Yerim decided to go around and look for food. 

"Unnie, who do you think will confess first?" asked Yeojin as she grabbed the fried chicken and their drinks. 

"Um... I honestly don't know but Jungie-unnie is so whipped, that's for sure," said Yerim with a smile. 

"No, I meant the gamers, Hye-unnie was clearly letting Chae-unnie win, even I could tell," Yeojin said, laughing to herself at the way Hyejoo had faked being mad to make it seem more real that she'd lost. 

"Oh, Chae-unnie hasn't even noticed so probably Oli. But we'll see, now let's go, I'm hungry!" Yerim said, grabbing Yeojin's arm before running off to where the other girls were. Yeojin's heart raced at the way Yerim's hands fit perfectly in hers but she convinced herself that she was just very hungry.

 

D- 3

 

"I love you," she said with all the honesty in her heart, she'd been waiting to say those words for a long time and now that she finally did it, her heart couldn't be happier. 

"Perfect!" shouted a giggling Jiwoo, taking Jungeun into a big bear hug. They were in Jiwoo's dorm room practicing Jungeun's lines because, in Jiwoo's words, she needed to rehearse in a friendly and familiar environment. 

"That was really good, Jungeun. If Jiwoo wasn't so in love with me I'd feel threatened," Sooyoung said winking at Jungeun. Jiwoo could only sigh and agree, she was in deep and she, herself, couldn't deny it. 

"Why can't you just do this in front of Jinsoul-unnie?" asked Heejin with genuine curiosity. She'd always admired Jungeun because of her talent and dedication, she was there, front row, last year when Jungeun delivered the performance that threw her to college stardom. 

"I don't know, she's just... Jinsoul. Something about her always throws me off and makes my mind go blank," answered Jungeun in all honesty, and it was true, ever since her freshman year Jinsoul was known for her amazing acting skills. 

Everyone knew who Jung Jinsoul was and you either loved her or were intimidated by her, she even had fans around campus for god's sake. Every play she participated in was a hit and people were already talking about the great things she would achieve once she graduated, you really can't blame Jungeun for letting all of that get into her head.

So, when she and Jungeun got into an argument on stage, all the younger girl could do was fight back, it was the next best thing because she'd rather have Jinsoul dislike her than give her the pleasure of knowing Jungeun liked her. Besides, that -eating grin she always had on did tick her off. 

"Okay, now. Switch, it's Heejin's turn to be your love interest," said Sooyoung as she pushed Heejin to the center of the room and took Jiwoo in her arms to watch the two girls act. 

Something in Jungeun clicked and she became Jangmi. Heejin was a good actress and all but as they practiced all afternoon, the girls were completely sure that Vivi and Haseul made the right choice by casting Jinsoul and Jungeun as the lead actresses because, as much as they bickered and fought offstage, the girls had incredible chemistry, but then again, they were the best actresses on campus. 

It was now time for Jungeun to say the three words to Heejin so she kneeled and looked at the girl like she was her whole world. Heejin smiled at her and as they were confessing their undying love to each other someone opened the door. 

"Chuu-unnie, have you seen Hee-" Hyunjin said before registering what was going on. She stopped dead on her tracks once she saw Heejin's face very too close to Jungeun's, she then turned around and was about to leave when Heejin realized what the girl was thinking. 

"Wait, Hyun! It's not what you think, we're just helping Jungeun-unnie practice for the play because she can't seem to get it right with Jinsoul-unnie," said Heejin as she grabbed Hyunjin's shoulder to stop her from leaving. 

"Oh is that so?" the door opened fully to show none other than Jung Jinsoul. Jungeun wanted to disappear in that instant, "Don't tell me you need help to get one line right, Jungie?" said Jinsoul with that -eating grin on her face and Jungeun wanted nothing more than to make it disappear from her face but she couldn't help the blush decorating her cheeks, she called me 'Jungie', a part of her gushed. 

"I-I can do it, and what are you even doing here?" asked Jungeun a little nervously, Jinsoul just looked at her and said. 

"I came with Hyunjin but I have other better things to do, I'll see you around then guys!" Jinsoul threw a smile to the girls looking at her. Heejin and Hyunjin left with her too after silently saying they'll meet tomorrow. 

"I swear she just appears out of nowhere to embarrass me," Jungeun rolled her eyes and threw herself on Jiwoo's bed. 

"Nah, Lippie. You do that on your own," said Sooyoung, high-fiving Jiwoo in the process.

 

D- 1

 

Jungeun was running late to their last rehearsal, she was busy with exams all day and when she realized what time it was she'd already missed 30 minutes of practice. So, as soon as she got out of the classroom she rushed to the theater. 

She tried calling Jiwoo but the girl didn't answer, she tried her luck with Sooyoung but the older girl didn't answer either. When she got to the theater she found nothing but darkness, she checked her watch to make sure she hadn't been too late but something was off, they should be there still. 

She decided to sit in one of the chairs and wait for a few minutes because no one answered her calls or texts. She'd been waiting for a few minutes when she felt a hand touch her shoulder, she suppressed a scream as noticed who it was. 

"Jinsoul? Is that you?" asked Jungeun after recognizing the girls' features, but something was different, her hair was now a beautiful black color and Jungeun could only stare in awe. 

"Jungeun? Where are the others?" Jinsoul asked, taking a seat next to Jungeun. 

"I have no idea, I've been trying to contact them but no one's answered. And to think I came running because I thought I was late," Jungeun huffed and if she hadn't been so focused on complaining, she would've heard the small squeal that came out of the other girl's mouth.

"Yeah, I thought I was late too but look, at least there was nothing to be late to," Jinsoul said trying to lift up the mood. 

The girls sat there in awkward silence for a few minutes before Jungeun made up her mind to talk to Jinsoul, she cleared and shifted her body to look at the girl but it seemed that the now dark-haired Jinsoul had the same idea because they found their faces very close to each other. Jungeun was thankful that there wasn't that much light because Jinsoul would've seen how red her face was. 

"So, um... We could at least try and rehearse, I mean we're here," said Jinsoul a little unsure. This was all so weird. 

"O-okay, sounds good," Jungeun nodded and the girls stood up and went to the stage. They agreed on turning on the flashlights of their phones to make sure no one fell off and Jinsoul reminded Jungeun of what happened a few days ago (Jungeun remembered why Jung Jinsoul was so unsettling.)

They started and halfway through things were going great, even if it was a dry rehearsal they connected with their characters more than ever and as they each recited their lines, they found the perfect pace, they fell in sync and by the time the final scenes came around, Jungeun didn't feel as nervous. 

Maybe it was because the practice she had with Heejin and Jiwoo actually worked, maybe it was because Jinsoul seemed much more bearable today or maybe it was because she could barely make out the other girl's features but something was different in that moment. 

"I love you," she said. This time it sounded real and Jinsoul felt it too. 

"P-pathetic!" Jinsoul answered more to herself than to Jungeun, and the younger girl noticed. 

"What do you mean pathetic?! That was clearly much better. Look, Jinsoul, I don't know what you have against me but I'm really trying my best here," Jungeun was tired of Jinsoul's attitude and unfairness. 

"I- You can do much better than that! I've heard you say it for real and it wasn't like this!" Jinsoul shouted as she took her phone and her bag to get out of that place and as the girl threw the door with a bang, Jungeun could only look at the place the girl occupied a few moments before, confused. 

What did she mean by that?

 

 

 

 

 

Jinsoul perfectly knew who Kim Jungeun was before they officially met when they started rehearsals for Haseul and Vivi's play. Ever since last year's hit winter play she had had the girl under her radar, something about her was special and she was determined to know why. 

She secretly followed her around for a few months and found some interesting things about her. First, she was very dedicated to her studies, second, she was a really good actress and third, she and Choi Jisu were together, or at least that's what she saw. 

The two girls in question were sitting down in one of the cafés close to the college, they'd been meeting there almost daily and Jinsoul, coincidentally was also one of the regulars in the place. Everything was very normal until she heard Jungeun confess her love for the other girl, it had sounded so sincere and real that the words also moved something in her, but she let it go after a few days. 

A few months went on, the two girls broke up, and as soon as Jinsoul heard about Haseul and Vivi's idea she knew she wanted in. She'd been a little bit of a nervous wreck the night before the first day of rehearsals, she really wanted to become Jungeun's friend but when the other girl barely acknowledged her presence, she knew she had to do something to gain her attention. 

That's why, when she first heard Jungeun soullessly recite those three words she knew it was the right moment. She let out the word pathetic without really thinking it through and before she realized what she'd said, Jungeun already disliked her. Talk about a plan backfiring. 

Jinsoul decided that if she began something, she might as well finish it, but what she didn't plan on was falling for Jungeun by the 8th time she heard I love you coming out of the girl's mouth. Of course, she would never let the girl know. 

So, why say something so weird when the two of them were alone? Call it a rush of the moment, a mistake, impatience. But Jinsoul was clear on something, she did not want to see Jungeun's face the next day. 

 

D- Day

 

It was finally the day of the performance and Jungeun woke up to a big headache and more than 200 messages on their group chat, she cursed at herself because who gets drunk the day before a performance, apparently Kim Jungeun did. 

She got ready and when she was about to head out, a text message with Jinsoul's name surprised her. 

Hey, Jungeun. Where are you?

Why would Jinsoul text her? The last thing she remembered was the girl storming out of the room after shouting nonsense, or so she thought until she checked her phone history. I called Jinsoul at 3 am in the morning?! Jungeun left Jinsoul's message on seen once she started remembering bits and pieces of what she did yesterday.

Apparently her dumb thought it'd be a great idea to go to the noraebang and get insanely drunk on her own. She remembered singing the OST of every Disney movie and instantly crying once the instrumental of 'I see the light' came on, something about Rapunzel's change of hair color reminded her of Jinsoul and before she could think things through-

 

"Hello? Who's this?" Jinsoul said drowsily, who even calls that early in the morning?

"Yah, you don't even have my contact saved?!" Jungeun said, that little piece of information affected her more than it should've. 

"Jungeun, is that you?" Jinsoul asked, "of course it's me! A-and you know what, you're very mean!" screamed Jungeun in response. Jinsoul just laughed and said, "are you drunk? Why are you calling me now?"

"Because-" Jungeun stopped to burp before continuing, "because I saw a princess and she reminded me of you... and I don't want you to be mad at me," she finished, her voice barely audible by the end of the phrase. 

"And what makes you think I'm mad at you?" Jinsoul said in the sweetest voice she could muster, Jungeun was clearly drunk out of her mind and she couldn't help but find it cute.

"I mean yo-you're always mean to me but today you actually s-shouted at me, and it hurt- B-but just a little," Jungeun was pouting at this point. 

"I didn't mean to, I was just frustrated that's all. How could I be mad at someone as cute as you?" knowing that the other girl probably wouldn't remember any of this, Jinsoul thought she could at least let her guard down for a while. 

"I'M CUTE?!" Jungeun's eyes opened wide. Did Jung Jinsoul just call her cute?

"Yes, you," Jinsoul was smiling so hard that her cheeks were starting to hurt. 

"You're cute, too" Jungeun laughed dreamily and before she could continue embarrassing herself even further, the call ended. She looked at her now dead phone before grumbling and going to her dorm. 

 

There was no way she was going to face Jinsoul, at least not if it depended on her. She got off the bus and started walking to the theater, on her way she managed to bump into at least three people and get someone's coffee on her shirt. It really was not her day. 

"Oh my God, Jungeun. What took you so long?" said Jiwoo as she took her into a rushed hug and pushed her into the dressing room.  

"I slept in, sorry," Jungeun said and Jiwoo didn't buy it at all but getting the girl ready for the performance was important now.

That was when Jungeun actually looked at her surroundings, Yeojin and Yerim were running around getting the stage ready, Hyejoo and Chaewon were helping people on the entrance and Haseul and Vivi were talking to the rest of the crew. She breathed in relief when she noticed there was no sign of Jinsoul anywhere. 

She got ready and as time passed she got more nervous, Sooyoung and Heejin came in to say hi to her and wish her luck but nothing was able to calm her down. She heard more and more voices as the audience grew bigger and she felt like she was going to pass out. 

"Hey, cutie. You ready?" a voice she did not want to hear said, but she did and if she was a nervous wreck before, she was now a nervous whipped wreck. 

"Not really," Jungeun answered in all honesty. Jinsoul noticing the state the girl was in, approached her and took her hand in hers. 

"Hey, relax. You're going to do great, you're an incredible actress," she said, looking at Jungeun in the eyes. 

"You really think so?" asked the younger girl, it really wasn't the right time to ask for validation but she needed it.

"I believe so! Now, let's go, Haseul's going to be mad if we're not there for the pep talk," the girls stood up and got out of the room. 

They still had 10 minutes to go but everyone was already buzzing, Haseul told everyone how thankful and proud she was of all the people that helped give the story life. She said that they were already happy with the opportunity but blowing everyone's mind wasn't so bad. 

Jinsoul left her side because it was already time and she was in charge of the opening scene. Jungeun could only stare in awe because Jinsoul was amazing, everything about her was to be admired, from the way she moved to the way she talked, hell half of the people in the audience were there for her. 

Soon enough it was her turn to join and she gave it her all, no trace of the nervous girl she was a few hours ago could be seen and she thought she was doing great, after all the look in Jiwoo's face was only good.

The props were perfectly handled by Yerim and Yeojin, Chaewon and Hyejoo helped with the lighting and music with a few other people, Heejin and Hyunjin were doing great with their roles and the other actors were perfect. Haseul and Vivi guided the rest of the crew and before Jungeun noticed it was time. 

Jinsoul was on the balcony of a modern house and Jungeun was on her knees, trying to gain her attention. Their characters had just gotten back to their hometown after a sequence of events that left them... scarred, to say the least. The world didn't seem to want Jieun and Jangmi to end up together but they'd already fought many things to get there, destiny wouldn't be that hard to confront. 

"Jieun-ah!" Jungeun paused for a second, taking a deep breath before saying, "I love you."

Jinsoul stared at her and she started to get nervous, it was hard enough to finally admit to herself that she actually meant what she was saying so the other girl not saying her lines was driving her crazy. 

"P-pabo-yah! I love you, too. Now, c'mon up before I change my mind," Jinsoul said, changing her lines a little and almost giving Jungeun a heart attack. The younger girl just laughed and went up the stairs as the curtains started closing. 

In the rehearsals that should've been it, Jieun and Jangmi were together before closing the curtains and changing the scenery, other actors making their way into the stage to finish the last scene but that didn't happen now. When Jungeun was finally next to Jinsoul the curtains didn't close, instead, all lights focused on them as Jinsoul grabbed her face and gave her a passionate kiss. 

The audience erupted in applause as Jungeun tried to catch up to Jinsoul and after they broke the kiss she said, "not so pathetic now, huh?" 

"Just shut up and kiss me," said Jinsoul with a smile on her, and as Yeojin winked at Yerim, the curtains finally closed.