The thought of being a so-called prodigy was amazing, unreal even. Ever since she was a kid, everyone only saw her as the girl who had a natural talent and not for who she really was. No one cared to question Eunbi's deflated confidence—they didn't dare to ask about her constant eye bags or simply ask, how was she. They were all the same.

"How is school going, Picasso?"

Throw in an occasional "Van Gogh" then you might as well be Eunbi's relatives.

She scoffed. A bitter taste grew in thinking of the multiple comments people made about her. How she was a genius, the best at everything. Those times created a deep rage for art. In reality: there was no "best" in art. Eunbi preferred to label herself as simple.

The bottom of her gut stirred, burning at the sight before her eyes. Eunbi's desire to paint or draw increased as she grew older; it'd give her the worst of headaches. 

That's not right. The girl growled and restarted the painting. Paint brushed back and forth, corresponding to the way Eunbi was moving her hand to mimic the actions of painting.

To be honest, Eunbi was never fond of her natural talent. A challenge is what she craved—for something to bring her panic and a need for help.

“Eunbi, will you let me walk you home?”

The said girl yelped, immediately lowering her hand and drank in the sight in front of her.

She cursed herself as frantic words wrote against her back. It was unfamiliar—the tone of the question at least. Yuna almost sounded worried about her. Eunbi laughed to herself, the organ in her chest beating faster by every second. She didn’t expect the guitarist to be making herself panic. What was it called? SinB always said something about “gay panicking” but Eunbi never understood her friend’s words.

“Eunbi?”

God, Yuna’s voice was so damn smooth. Honey practically dripped from those plump lips—or... created by her vocal chords?

Eunbi refused to look Yuna in eyes, fiddling with her fingers as she stared at her own nails. “Sure... you— hah, can walk me home." She tensed up.

...What was that laugh? 

Yuna smiled at the shorter girl while offering a hand. Rain fell around the girl, pattering against the pastel green umbrella that looked too old to be new. 

Eunbi’s lips pressed into a thin line. The desire to paint changed into longing for something else—another unfamiliarity. Static rang in the girl's ears. The wiring high pitched sound deafened her and overshadowed the sound of rain along with her own heart beat. 

Her hand seemed to have a mind of its own and reached out to grasp Yuna's hand. As the girl leaped from underneath the verandah, she squeezed her eyes shut. The second their fingers touched: Eunbi blushed. Yuna's hand was warm. In contrast, her own body temperature was colder than usual—it was like autumn touching spring.

Eunbi scrunched her nose, the scent of lavender filling her nostrils. It immediately relaxed her shoulders and left a warm hue over her face. Eunbi almost wished she could smell that forever instead of the paints she always worked with. Losing herself within the scent, Eunbi pressed her cheek against Yuna’s chest, unknowingly of course, and blushed at the girl’s rapid heart beat.

The second Eunbi blinked, she was in a sunny lavender field. As the purple flowers drifting in the wind, Eunbi sighed and inhaled the smell. It was beautiful. The sun was stuck at a standpoint and sat at the horizon line. Rays of gold scattered across the field as Eunbi reached out to touch the sun. Her hand covered the golden star, light shining through between the spaces of her fingers. The girl fell backwards on the bed of flowering plants with soft giggles escaping her lips. It felt nice to finally be relaxed.

However, Eunbi didn't realize she was still daydreaming.

"Um... Eunbi?"

Oh. Oh .

“Oh my ing god!” Eunbi blurted out, pushing herself away from Yuna. In a matter of seconds, Eunbi froze at the cold drops of rain hitting her head.

“Yah! Are you stupid?!”

What was even happening? Eunbi couldn't comprehend her current situation. All she could think about was Yuna's smell and how soothing it was—did Yuna use perfume or did she naturally smell like that?—not the point! Burying her face in her hands, Eunbi spiraled into a deep hole some would call: embarrassment.

"Eunbi! You—" The latter rushed towards the said girl. "—are very... just 'arghhh', you know that?!" Yuna put her hands up, her fists clenched tightly as she pushed Eunbi back underneath the verdanah.

Seeing that Eunbi wasn't going speak, Yuna sighed. "Just work with me here.” The taller girl pouted.

It finally sunk in—not just the rain but what she just did. Eunbi sighed and lowered her head. “I’m... sorry—"

A soft cloth was gently pressed on Eunbi’s head, stopping the girl from rambling. As blood rushed to the tips of her ears, Eunbi lowered her head to help Yuna; who was gently dabbing the water droplets off her hair. The action itself wouldn’t do much to dry Eunbi's hair but the thought is what mattered. After all, it seemed her heart was having one hell of a time allowing Yuna to pat her head so freely.

“Hm." Yuna breathed out. "I don't want you to get sick."

She was tempted to cover her face due to the rising blush but there wasn't nearly enough space between the two. Instead, being too flustered to speak,  Eunbi nodded silently against Yuna’s chest.

The girl stepped back, finishing sooner than Eunbi would've liked—her hair was still wet after all. Still, nothing could stop the rising heat on her cheeks. How embarrassing was she? With one action, Eunbi made a fool of herself all while making Yuna dirty her handkerchief.

"Eunbi." Yuna said sternly causing the latter to freeze up.

"Yeah?"

There was a second of silence before Eunbi saw an offering hand and a royal purple fabric being shoved in her face.

"Take—take it!" Yuna sputtered, a flip from her first initial word. She forced the handkerchief in the smaller girl's hands. "I can't... use if it smells like someone else."

Furrowing her eyebrows, Eunbi looked at the fabric curiously. "Can't you just wash it?" She inquired.

Yuna placed a hand on her nape and lowered her head. "It's this pet peeve I have..." 

"Then why did you use it on me?"

"Eunbi!" Yuna whined like a young puppy asking for attention. She stamped her feet on the concrete, continuing to push Eunbi's hands away (the hands that kept on trying to give Yuna back her handkerchief).

"Yes?" She couldn't miss the chance to play along.

"Just take the damn thing already!"

"Okay okay!"

The smell of lavender blew past Eunbi’s face. She wouldn't admit it to the girl but she was partly glad that Yuna gave her the handkerchief. It smelled like her.

Eunbi slapped her own face. "Oh my god! What am I thinking?!" She screamed whilst yelling at the red mark appearing on her cheeks.

"Eunbi?—"

"God ing, what is wrong with me!" Pocketing the handkerchief rather aggressively, Eunbi ed a finger at Yuna. "It's your fault water shield!"

Yuna gasped. "Hey! You were the one—"

" you and your lavender smell."

Eunbi threw her hand over as Yuna stopped, a smirk slowly growing on her face. How many holes did she have to dig herself in?!

"Ah, okay I see Eunbi-ssi." Yuna laughed. "I smell good, hm?"

Eunbi yelled a protest as Yuna linked their arms together, forcing the girl underneath the umbrella and stepped out in the rain.

"I didn't say you smell good!" Eunbi pouted, doing the same childish stomp Yuna previously did.

Yuna rolled her eyes although a smile plastered on her face, spreading ear to ear. "Sure~" The girl looked down at Eunbi. "Hey, you fit right?"

Fighting off the blush—that tried so hard to appear—Eunbi nodded. "Yes, I should be the one asking you that."

She took a moment to look at Yuna, quickly finding the opportunity to untangle their arms and frowned. 

"You're way taller than me."

Yuna only snickered as her fingers tapping the umbrella handle. "I am—you should see my friend, she's like... four stories tall."

Eunbi sighed. Why did she believe her even for a second?

“Ah I forgot to ask. ” Yuna stopped. "What dorm were you in?"

“The second building.”

The expression change on Yuna's face was too noticeable to ignore. Eunbi quirked an eyebrow, question Yuna's antics as the girl went on to laugh.

“I guess we’re going to the same place.”

Eunbi went red at her words. “Is that so?”

 A wave of embarrassment washed over her. It was silly for saying such an awkward response. Taking a deep breath, Eunbi reminded herself that Yuna was just another person—just another girl she could talk to. However, her nerves still crept in every time she spoke to the latter. Well, in a sense, Yuna was much more different than her two friends; much more different than Eunbi herself.

Yuna was like a flower. Similar to the lavender she smelled so pungently of. She was the flower when it blows in the wind: delicate, elegant and beautiful. Yuna seemed to flourish in the spring rain and go as far as to enjoy it just as she did. From the first time Eunbi saw her, Yuna claimed the same attribute of standing mindlessly—like most flowers do. However, flowers were very easy to kill.

Eunbi was like a stone. Stubborn and hard-headed. Though SinB once told her she was a honest girl. While she wasn't wrong, Eunbi hid thing a lot more than she intended. She was constantly stuck in one place—unable to move from it. Completely opposite of the flourishing flower Yuna, who was always moving forward.

Or so as it seems, Eunbi only just met Yuna after all.

The sound of rain against the umbrella lessened. By now, it'd slowed down but had no intentions of stopping for the girls to make it home safe and sound.

“Eunbi.”

“Yes?”

Yuna went silent for a few seconds before sighing. “Actually, never mind.”

“Yuna?”

“Hm?”

“How’s… your song going?” Eunbi breathed out. In the moment, she swore her heart was going to burst out of her chest.

Yuna leaned forward to look Eunbi in the eyes. A soft smile warmed the latter—although it's safe to assume Yuna's always smiling... which was an odd observation on Eunbi's part but she notices small things.

“I forgot about it~” The girl stuck her tongue out. “Plus I can’t think correctly if my guitar isn’t fixed.”

She flinched. "Oh, right."

Eunbi bit her lip. A small thread of hope wished they weren’t close to the dorms but that thread snapped the second Eunbi saw the hedges and a statue that was made of stone. She sighed. There wasn’t nearly enough time for their unexpected meeting. Eunbi placed a hand over , screaming silently as Yuna filled the air with comments. How much more helpless could she get?

Balling her hand into a fist, Eunbi looked straight ahead—red tinting her cheeks and the tips of her ears.

“Yuna!” Eunbi yelled.

What were you going to ask me?

“What major are you in?!”

Wrong question!

The beating in her chest echoed in her ear. Her lip twitched, unsatisfied, as she waited for Yuna’s answer. The taller girl stopped abruptly—leaving Eunbi to almost step out into the rain before stomping her foot to regain balance.

“Business administration.” 

Ice. The words were filled with disgust, rage and anguish. Eunbi felt the air become tense, spots of red and black staining the earth. The smile she admired was completely gone; replaced with a look of disgust. Blood drained from Eunbi's face as Yuna's expression softened. For a second, only a second, Eunbi was worried. 

“Why do you ask?” Yuna breathed out whilst side-eyeing Eunbi.

The art major shrugged. “Just curious.”

Curiosity kills the cat. It doesn’t come back alive, not in Eunbi’s interpretation at least but being curious was not a valid answer; in terms of answering Yuna's question. There were reasons for everything—that was the part of herself that she found intriguing. She had reasons. For all the actions, the words she said or even her own pieces of artwork. This time, the reason for her question was an excuse.

“What about you?”

“Visual arts.”

Yuna’s eyes lingered on her longer than Eunbi would’ve liked. Compared to past people (say someone like Kim Sojung) Eunbi was always timid of those stares but Yuna's felt almost comfortable to be under. Her gaze was constantly soft and a smile, even it's small, was on her face.

Eunbi blinked softly, watching Yuna's face slowly distort into an expression of shock.

Instinctively, Yuna bit the inside of her cheek. “Ah ah ah! !”  Her free hand lashed upwards to hold her right cheek.

“Yuna...?" Eunbi let out a soft puff in an attempt to suppress a laugh. "What are you...?"

"Just ignore that!" The said girl giggled awkwardly. She gave her a light wave, continuing to walk forward and almost left Eunbi in the rain. “Let's go before it’s too late, my roommates will kill me if I make noises after ten.”

Yuna was cute, Eunbi had to admit. From the last time they met, she wasn't able to see this playful side of the girl as much. Laughing at Yuna’s frantic actions, she (unconsciously) placed a hand above Yuna’s on the umbrella handle. She smiled at the girl and moved in closer to her shoulder. 

“You’re weird, Yuna.” Eunbi chuckled.

The moon flickered and color vanished from the sky. In another’s eyes, they’d say the piece was unfinished. White of the canvas was still showing, the piece itself was messy in a way. What they tend to not understand is what the artist wants to convey. Right now, as brush paint across the two girls—Eunbi knew she was one person in the painting. In her mind, her hand moved harmoniously to the song crackling on the radio. The painting showed the white of the canvas as Eunbi set down the paintbrush.

“We’re here.” Yuna broke the air, lifting the umbrella from over their head. “And the rain stopped just in time.”

Eunbi watched as the latter spun the umbrella, water droplets flying off in every direction. It shined like glitter by the way the light hit the droplets.

“How did we even make it back in time? I'm usually directionless." Yuna laughed to herself.

Eunbi shook her head. Of course Yuna would be the type of girl to forget where she lived.

Smiling at the girl, Eunbi poked Yuna's side. "Why am I not surprised?"

Yuna jut her bottom lip, shoving the umbrella into Eunbi's hands before striding inside the building. "Punishment for making fun of me!" She cackled.

"C'mon Yuna!" Eunbi yelled after her,  chasing the girl down the hall towards the elevator.

A press of the lips was enough to tell Eunbi that Yuna was getting flustered. About time. The whole time they were together, it seemed like Eunbi was the only one blushing.

"Hey! Keep it open, water shield." Eunbi kicked her leg into the closing door causing it to snap open.

Yuna shook her head and nudged Eunbi by the shoulder. "You're lucky I even saved you that day."

"Yeah, yeah." Eunbi waved Yuna off as a smirk grew across her face. It'd be a lie to say her heart wasn't racing—she really was lucky to have met Yuna.  

Reaching for the 2 button, Eunbi paused as Yuna's finger pressed it first. 

Oh god.

“Um…” A nervous laugh came out of the girl. “I guess we’re going to the same floor…?”

Hiding her face behind her hands, Eunbi tried hard to not smile. “Yeah, I guess.” 

Who would've thought?

Heavy weights sat on Eunbi’s shoulders. She would make small talk with the girl but Yuna looked tired enough after spending almost 10 minutes walking across campus. Eunbi’s fist clenched by itself. A tug on was enough for the girl to open  yet Eunbi was too introverted for her own good. Mustering the courage, she looked at Yuna.

"Yu—"

The elevator door beeped, opening just as Eunbi was about to talk.

So much for that.

"Eunbi." Yuna tapped the girl's shoulder as they walked out of the elevator. "Make sure you text me, I don't have your number yet."

Yuna's tongue lingered on the word yet, a smirk driving her forward to lean closer to Eunbi's face. It'd be a lie to say the girl wasn't red; she could be classified as a strawberry by how deep her blush was. 

Pressing her lips together, Eunbi pushed Yuna's shoulder gently. "I will! No need to worry~" 

Yuna gave her one last smile, pivoting dramatically and waved a goodnight to the shorter girl. Returning the gesture, Eunbi rushed off in the opposite direction. Possibly the fastest she ran in her life—the only other time she ran so fast was away from Kim Sojung when she accidentally bumped into her. Eunbi shivered. She was so tall. Sojung could probably pass as four stories high.

Eunbi arrived at her door, her chest immediately tightening at the smell of paint within her living space. She pressed her forehead against the wood and sighed.

"I didn't know she lived on the same floor." Flipping so her back was now on wood, Eunbi looked down the hallway; her eyes zipping through the decorated doors and flickering lights.

A part of her was tempted to look if Yuna was not as far as she thought—Eunbi slapped her cheeks. No! She couldn’t… it’d be too embarrassing to even try to look for Yuna. Would it? Yes it would be! 

"Stupid water shield! Getting me all worked up." She grumbled before opening the door.

Waves of paint thinner flooded her nose. A smell Eunbi shouldn't be used to yet she found the scent comfortable. Before she could take a step into the dorm, Eunbi's head was spinning. She stumbled towards her bedroom and, in the midst, tossed her backpack on the ground and jumped on the bed. A small groaned escaped her lips; happily burying her face into the sheets. After all, hours of sitting took a toll on her back—she didn’t remember the last time she actually sat with the correct posture. It was to the point her hard mattress felt like clouds to her.

Eunbi flipped over, staring at the white ceiling with a cheeky smile.

"Is this what happiness feels like?" She mumbled.

Her arm moved automatically, holding an imaginary paintbrush between her index and thumb fingers.

Eunbi painted over the ceiling with a pigmented red. Her fingers clenched the paintbrush like she was afraid someone was going to take it away from her. Colors filled the surface: blues, whites and that hue of red she first placed down. The grip on the paintbrush tightened. What was she painting?

Confusion filled the girl as a green bunny appeared before her, sitting peacefully next to a grey lavender in what seems an ocean. However, the sky was identical to the floor; reflecting the clouds onto the water's surface—plus, the bunny and the lavender stood on top of the water rather than submerged.

The space between her eyebrows scrunched together. Eunbi jumped as the paintbrush snapped in half and the painting vanished into thin air.

"What the hell?" She whispered while looking at the palms of her hands.

Ignoring the strange painting, Eunbi rolled to her side and slipped her phone out of her pants pocket. Her finger lingered over the message app. She sighed and tapped the app.

As expected, blood rushed to her cheeks as Eunbi stared at the new contact in her phone—the small profile circle being filled with Yuna's face and a cut off peace sign.

“Cute." She muttered, silently reading the name Yuna had given herself.

Yuna my fav water shield <3

"Agh! What a kid!" Eunbi yelled out, her lips thinning into an uncontrollable smile as she held her phone against her chest.

Yuna is such a kid.

What did it feel like to have something so close snatched out of your hands? Whether it’s an item, a thought or a person. What about… having your dreams taken away from you or feeling yourself spiral into madness? So many questions yet so little answers.

However, Eunbi could answer one question from afar.

What was it like to watch lavender fields die?

my life is waiting for you~ yes you! MAGO is amazing!!! yuju with her pole dancing was so amazing and sowon starting off the MV was *chefs kiss* and yay eunhas finally back ^^ 

 I apologize for such a late chapter, I had a difficult time revising—I need to get used to writing eunha ;; but reading the comments always get me hyped up so thank you for leaving some ^^ remember to stay safe, stream and vote for MAGO!! I also hope filo buddies are okay, not just buddies too—please be aware of what is happening in Cagayan and if you can, send donations!! I'm not Filipino myself but I hope everyone is safe!