It wasn’t hard to notice Seulgi on the first day of kindergarten. In fact, she was the first classmate Irene paid attention to.

            Seulgi had admirable traits. The way she smiled too big for her chubby yet cute cheeks. The curly pig tails. The Pringles plush she would always carry around with her like it was the only thing that was keeping her safe from the harsh world.

            Irene liked playing around with her at the playground behind their classroom or at the play area next to the bookshelves. She was the first person she sought after to build letter blocks with if she wasn’t already occupied. Because Seulgi was quite adorable and Irene liked adorable things. Or people, in this case.

            So, of course, they played around a lot.

            But that was it.

            While Irene liked being around Seulgi to a degree, she didn’t take it any further. Not after all those years throughout elementary where they were forced to be seated apart from each other due to assigned seating based on last names. They naturally made other friends and would only make do with each other when it came to projects, friendly competitions, and whatnot.

            It didn’t bother Irene in any way. She liked having fun with Seulgi, but she found herself being able to have fun with other friends, too.

            Though, she wished they spoke more than a few sentences to each other.

            She didn’t want to make small talk. Who cared about the “how are you’s,” the “how was your weekend’s,” or even the “how did you do on the homework’s.”

            It was desired to have a natural flowing conversation. To say something that could immediately start off as “oh, my God, guess what!”

            She couldn’t really have that with Seulgi. Their relationship at the time didn’t call for it. And just now, as Irene sat in her bed with the blankets up to her chin, thinking about the events that happened throughout her day, she wished she had a better relationship with Seulgi.

            Being that one savior who happened to be there by Seulgi’s side whenever the cheerleader got injured didn’t suffice.

            But Irene heaved a sigh. Maybe this was how it was planned out for them. Maybe Seulgi and Irene were meant to be just classmates, casual friends, people to greet in passing and well-being and nothing more.

            After all, wouldn’t something more already happen?

            Especially all these years?

            Irene thought so.

**

            The sun soaked the campus in an afternoon glow, causing Irene to squint as she walked across to head to the student council room. Even when the sun was setting it was still quite blinding.

            Today should be the final day to complete the backdrop for the homecoming dance. Since Seulgi already sketched the drawing yesterday, painting was going to be the main focus this time around.

            Irene was the only one in the stillness of the student council room. All neat and proper, assuming the idea that no one occupied it today. She immediately made preparations and sat out all the paint brushes, paint bottles, and trays to use.

            Sneaking a peek at her wristwatch, she confirmed that Seulgi and Wendy wouldn’t be here for another few minutes. So, Irene utilized this time to lean back against the conference table, admiring the half-finished backdrop before her.

            Seulgi was definitely an artist in her own right. Whenever she posted unfinished drawings or sketches on her Instagram story, Irene couldn’t help but be in awe that it was created with just a few writing utensils and a hand. Irene had all of those – why couldn’t she be as creative? It was such a wonder to her sometimes. From what Irene saw, she figured that one of Seulgi’s focuses was realism. She drew people well, if it was any indication by the completed drawings of celebrities on her Instagram feed. Irene would also see sketches of a particular young girl, but it was only of the back. Barely the side profile. Never the front. Yet, Seulgi still managed to make her look so pretty with simple, fine .

            Irene pondered who it was out of sheer curiosity. It was the only drawing object that Seulgi would repeatedly show as a story but never as a post.

            The door to the conference room slid open. Irene slightly tilted onto her side to see Seulgi walking in after closing the door. The cheerleader’s pace looked better this time around. She was healing nicely.

            “Hey Irene,” she greeted with a blinding smile.

            Irene couldn’t help but return a soft one. Seulgi’s smiles were contagious. “Hey.”

            “Wendy’s not here yet?”

            “Not yet. She’s probably in a study group or something for one of her classes,” said Irene. She observed the cheerleader setting down her belongings at the end of the conference table before coming around to her side. “You look like you’re getting better.”

            “Yup! Making sure that I’m not stressing it out too much. Tiffany’s been asking me to see her every day to see my progress.”

            “That’s good… I’m glad she’s making sure you’re getting better.”

            “Of course. She’s a nurse, right?” Seulgi teased.

            Irene playfully rolled her eyes at that before turning to face the backdrop. “Should we get started?”

            After a few instructions from the artist, Seulgi and Irene began painting the backdrop in silence. Seulgi was continuing from where they left off yesterday and Irene was painting at the other end, starting a whole new area.

            But it was too quiet now.

            Oh, where was chatterbox Wendy when she needed her?

            Irene thought about playing some music from her phone. But would it be too awkward to start it up out of nowhere? Would it also cut out any potential future conversations between her and Seulgi?

            Maybe Irene was thinking too much about this.

            She could just play something on low volume so the silence wasn’t deafening to her ears.

            Seulgi cleared all of a sudden and Irene immediately darted her eyes over to her.

            “Remember when we had to paint for a play in middle school?” she asked.

            “Oh, right. Was it the Romeo and Juliet play?”

            Seulgi giggled, thinking about all the mishaps and foolery that occurred leading up to the final day of the play. “Yeah. It was such a drag having to do that play, but it was also kind of fun.”

            The corners of Irene’s mouth gently tugged up. “…It was. I remember when you had to play Mercutio at the very last second.”

            “Ugh! That was such a bother. I was actually really content with just being one of the background characters and doing the stage design and whatnot.”

            “Really? Why’s that? I was playing Juliet.”

            “That’s exactly why.”

            “What? What do you mean?”

            “I wanted to be able to watch you play Juliet without having to think about my upcoming lines as Mercutio.”

            Irene stopped painting and giggled behind her hand. “You wanted to give your undivided attention to me as Juliet?”

            “Well, yeah! Your acting was so good!” Seulgi praised. She shot a grin at Irene, who was crouching and had a wide grin on her face as well. “Plus, I think whoever helped with the wardrobe also did really well.”

            “Yeah, they did really well…” Irene resumed painting for a few , thinking about that day where she had to act as Juliet in their annual stage play. She didn’t understand why Romeo and Juliet was the play they chose that year, but she figured it was because it was a classic. “You know…you probably would have been a much better Romeo than our actual Romeo.”

            “Really?”

            “Yeah, you two should’ve switched roles,” said Irene.

            “You’re not just saying that so I would’ve been the one to kiss you on the cheek, right?” Seulgi said in a teasing voice, which Irene did not fail to catch.

            “Don’t make me regret saying that.”

            “Ooh~ sorry Miss Bae.” Seulgi laughed at the mock frustration written over Irene’s face. “I wouldn’t have done a great job as Romeo.”

            “Why not? You did great as Mercutio.”

            Irene saw how Seulgi simply shook her head and said nothing more. The cheerleader was definitely thinking of the explanation, but she wasn’t sharing it.

            It would’ve been difficult to admit that Seulgi would have tripped over her lines as Romeo if she were to face someone like Irene playing Juliet. It would have been even more difficult to explain how she would get flustered or why the speed at which her heart was beating against her chest was at that ridiculous speed.

            “Being a main character was too much responsibility at the time,” Seulgi left it at that.

            Irene pouted. She decided not to pester any longer, though.

            They continued to paint in silence at their respective corners of the backdrop. Irene glanced at Seulgi every now and then, wondering if she should try to keep the conversation going, start up a new topic, or simply let the silence engulf them. Seulgi didn’t seem too bothered, judging by her expression. The cheerleader looked calm and focused as she the backdrop with her paint brush.

            “How is the planning for homecoming coming along?” Seulgi softly asked. “You guys are almost done, right?”

            “Pretty much. Just some last-minute things like this backdrop. We’ll do some rehearsals on the day of homecoming since we have scripts and all,” replied Irene.

            “Sounds good, sounds good.”

            “Thank you again,” Irene muttered. “For volunteering to help with this backdrop.”

            “Who’s to say that I’m doing this for free?”

            “Oh.” Irene appeared alarm, quickly darting her eyes over to Seulgi, who bore a serious expression. “Solar…compensated?”

            “Yes. At your expense.”

            “Huh!?” Irene almost shouted.

            “Yeah, she said that I get to have a dance with you. A slow dance, especially. This is your project.”

            Irene only continued to stare on. Completely bewildered.

            That said so many things.

            First of all, Solar asked Seulgi, right? And one would think that Seulgi would offer her services for free, right? But where did the mention of a dance with Irene come up? Did Solar offer it? No way. Solar didn’t really know about the underlying infatuation that Seulgi and Irene had for each other. And it really didn’t seem like Seulgi herself would demand for such a thing in return.

            Seulgi gazed at Irene for a few more seconds before she started to burst into laughter. At the sight of it, the student council member gradually rolled her eyes and huffed, realizing that she had been joked around with.

            “I’m just kidding, Irene!” Seulgi said in between her fits of laughter. “Solar said she’d let me and my plus one go to the dance for free in return.”

            That…sounded more plausible.

            Of course it did.

            Seulgi was finishing up the section she was painting, so she moved closer to Irene to head towards an emptier canvas. The latter saw that as an opportunity to get some sort of “revenge” for playing around with her like that.

            Irene’s paint brush wasn’t soaking in orange, but it also wasn’t completely dry. It had about a few more left on the white backdrop before she had to dip it back onto the paint tray. Before she did, she swiped at Seulgi’s bare arm.

            “Hey!” Seulgi exclaimed, eyes comically widening by the second.

            “That’s what you get for teasing me,” Irene shot back, childishly sticking her tongue out at her.

            “Geez, what are we, in elementary school again?” Seulgi giggled.

            Then, she also stole an opportunity to paint Irene’s arm with purple.

            “Hey!”

            It did feel like they went back to their elementary school days. Where they would play around with each other without a care in the world, laughing and running and coloring and painting.

            If it felt like those days again, if it were actually those days again, Irene hoped to do something different.

            Something to twinge a string between herself and Seulgi. Maybe a part of their relationship would completely change.

            For better or for worse, one would never know until the risk was taken.

**

            The day of homecoming hit Irene harder than she realized it. She was speed walking across campus to the gym in a set of casual wear but a face full of makeup and her hair beautifully straightened.

            Sehun and Chanyeol, the heads of the audio and visual tech team, quickly helped Irene with setting up the backdrop at the back of the gym before they went on to test the audio for the night. Irene amplified the backdrop a little bit more by adorning the border with fairy lights and also adding tea lights where they painted the lanterns on the backdrop. Once she took a few steps back to address the view before her, she the switch.

            A soft smile slowly spread across her face, gradually taking in the sight of the beautiful scenery of the most romantic scene in Tangled. Irene couldn’t help but think of Seulgi. This was one of the most gorgeous artworks that she had seen Seulgi work on. She couldn’t believe it even made her envy the main characters and want to be in the middle of the ocean with lit up lanterns above her in the night sky as well.

            The rest of the set-up wasn’t anything too difficult. They were closing in on the registration time for homecoming; however, so Solar quickly huddled the student council members by the stage.

            “Alright y’all,” Solar started. “This is our first major event of the school year. All of you did fantastic with the planning. The set-up time went as planned and the food should also be arriving on time as well. Thank you all so much for your hard work! My executive team, y’all were the best. Irene and decorations team, everything looks wonderful and so damn gorgeous. I hope people take lots of pictures tonight. My A/V team, the audio sounds crisp and clear. Hope to hear some bangin’ music tonight. With that, let’s party!!!”

            The student council roared in response and rushed out to get changed into their beautiful and handsome attires. Irene dressed herself into a strapless black dress, illustrating her smooth shoulders, and a pair of black two-inch heels. She checked herself out in the restroom mirror for any touch-ups she needed to do.

            Wendy came out of the stall next to the one she was in previously also looking as gorgeous as ever.

            “Ready for the night?” she asked with a smile.

            Irene was in the middle of applying another coat of a light pink lip gloss. “Yeah. I don’t know why I’m so nervous. It’s not like I haven’t done this before.”

            A knowing smirk spread across Wendy’s face. She, too, decided to do some last-minute touch ups to her makeup. “Who knows~ You’re a free bird tonight.”

            “Don’t be silly. It’s just the, you know, nerves of being on the planning team. I don’t think it’d ever go away no matter how many times you do it.”

            “While that may be true, maybe you’re hoping to snatch someone else tonight!”

            Irene rolled her eyes. “You know, you’ve been quite nosy about my love life.”

            “I just want you to be happy, Irene!”

            “As if.” Irene quickly packed up her belongings, not wanting to stick around in the restroom with Wendy any longer. Her and her teasing…Irene couldn’t manage another minute. “Just go snog it up with Joy and leave me alone, ‘kay?”

            “Aw, don’t be a party pooper~”

            Irene delivered another roll of her eyes and headed into the hallway of the Literature and Language building. It was situated next to the gym and the administration gave the student council access to the building as a place to store their belongings and make any other preparations. After setting away her backpack in the only opened classroom, Irene made her way out and turned a corner, almost bumping into an unforeseen presence.

            “Oh lord!”

            Irene luckily recoiled and didn’t make an impact with the newcomer. She blinked a few times and realized that Seulgi and Mino were before her, both also shocked.

            “Gave us a surprise there, didn’t you?” Mino jested.

            “Seulgi, Mino, what are you two doing here?” Irene asked. “Only the homecoming planning team is allowed in this building.”

            Seulgi pouted. “Wouldn’t that include me since I helped out with the backdrop?”

            “Well…not exactly.”

            “I was kidding,” Seulgi snorted, and lifted up a hand. It appeared to be a cup of tea from one of their local tea shops. “I got you a jasmine green milk tea.”

            Irene’s eyebrows rose as she gradually took the drink into her hands. “Wait…you didn’t have to.”

            “Just a token of my appreciation for being great company while we made the backdrop together,” Seulgi simply said, and she smiled. “It’s also supposedly one of the best drinks in our city, so try it. You might not sleep tonight, but what the hell.”

            Irene laughed and thanked Seulgi anyway, smiling up at her while her cheeks felt hot.

            “I’ll see you around, then,” Seulgi said. The cheerleader glanced up at Mino, who immediately acted as her guidance back to the gym. “You look absolutely beautiful tonight, by the way.”

            Irene didn’t say anything immediately, only watch as Mino whisked Seulgi away back down the hall.

            “T-Thank you,” she managed to utter under her breath. She wasn’t sure if Seulgi heard it or not.

            There was barely any time to sulk over the fact that Irene wasn’t able to return the compliment on Seulgi’s attractive appearance. Soon after, members of the student council poured out from the open classroom and dragged Irene along with them, exclaiming that homecoming was starting soon.

            “C’mon, let’s go! Let’s make this one of the best nights of our lives!” shouted one of the members.

            Best night or not, Irene decided that yes, she would make sure she’d have a great time.

            And maybe, just maybe, that’d finally involve a risk that she was willing to take.

**

            Homecoming was now in full swing. As the representative of the student body, Solar delivered a heartfelt and opening message before allowing the live band to take over for the night, playing music for the hundreds of students swaying on the dance floor.

            It hadn’t even been an hour into the night, but Irene already felt exhausted. Mentally drained from being on the planning team, high-key stressed for having to help create the backdrop just a few days before the main event, and also physically beat from setting up for almost two hours. She decided to take a break for the meantime (maybe for the rest of the night) by sitting at one of the round circular tables draped with a thick black cloth.

            The live band seemed interesting at the moment. Some local artist that Wendy managed to book for the night. They played a variety of covers from popular artists to also slipping in a few original works themselves. As she leaned on her elbows, admiring the handiwork of fingers strumming against strings and vocals beautifully pouring out into the gym, she noticed a heavy presence at the corner of her eye.

            Seulgi and Mino were near her, much to her curiosity. Irene couldn’t help but tear her gaze away from the live band to stare at the duo. She didn’t try to make it obvious, keeping her eyes on them and averting them immediately when she sensed either Seulgi or Mino looking her way. Mino was pointing at something, whispering into Seulgi’s ear with whatever he was talking about. When Irene took a glance back, she realized it was Seulgi’s artwork. The backdrop.

            “You guys wanna take a pic?” asked Ten, who was in charge of taking official pictures tonight.

            “A picture at a beautiful backdrop made by my beautiful best friend? Of course!” Mino grinned and led Seulgi to the center, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

            Seulgi rolled her eyes at his comment before returning the embrace around his waist. They genuinely smiled in front of the camera.

            “One…two…three! You two look really good!” Ten complimented. “The picture will be on the school website within a week for your social media purposes.”

            A corner of Irene’s mouth subconsciously tugged upwards.

            Yeah, they do look good together.

            Irene looked away and heaved a heavy sigh to herself.

            Was it a good idea?

            On the short trek from the neighboring building to the gym, Irene managed to muster enough courage to pump herself up for what she planned in her head.

            She wanted to spend time with Seulgi tonight. Whether they would be alone or not wasn’t something Irene thought about extensively, she just thought about being around Seulgi.

            But just the sight of her with her best friend, Mino, put her off. It didn’t feel right for her to approach the two, like she was intruding on something that already happened or was going to happen.

            Maybe this was why their relationship never took another step.

            Feeling too complacent at times. Feeling too intrusive at other times.

**

            After taking a few more pictures at the photobooth, Seulgi and Mino decided to walk around the gym for a bit longer, admiring other aspects of the main event among other things. It wasn’t until Seulgi felt like her knee was acting up again did she want to sit down.

            “We can go sit at the back over there,” suggested Mino. “No one is sitting there.”

            “Yeah, can you grab me some punch and maybe something to snack on?” asked Seulgi.

            Mino nodded. As soon as he guided her to one of the vacant tables, he left to get refreshments for the both of them. Seulgi exhaled a relieving sigh as soon as she sat down. She felt bad that she wasn’t able to grant Mino the full homecoming experience by dancing with him, but her best friend insisted that it was fine and just spending time with her was enough.

            Seulgi took the time to survey her surroundings from this new point of view. Since she was seated at the back corner, she was able to practically see everything. A lot of moving bodies, the refreshment table, the photobooth, the stage with the live band. There were a few other tables hidden in the dark around her as well – a couple sitting at one slowly kissing each other, a group of friends at another one taking a break from dancing since the beginning, and a single girl sitting by herself at another.

            Upon taking closer look, Seulgi realized it was Irene when the latter turned, exposing the side of her face. Seulgi’s breathing hitched upon the sight. Just Irene in her full glory, adorning beautiful and seemingly expensive jewelry around her neck, wrists, and ears.

            Everyone knew Irene was pretty on the daily. Even if she had her face bare or with minimal makeup, she was still easily one of the prettiest girls on campus.

            Tonight, however, was another sight to see.

            Irene, looking so fair, so elegant. Beautiful face amplified with a few touches, shoulders bare, slim body hugged nicely by her black dress.

            Seulgi didn’t believe Irene knew she was the most stunning person in this room tonight. Maybe not to some other people, but to Seulgi, she definitely was.

            Irene swayed from side to side to the music, slightly bopping her head at the more upbeat cover that the live band was playing.

            If Seulgi could sit here and stare at Irene all night long, she would. Unfortunately, her thoughts were cut short as soon as a group of girls surrounded Irene. With her eyes still tracing every feature of Irene, she saw how her eyes lit up and the wide grin plastered across.

            God, Irene didn’t know but she tugged at Seulgi’s heartstrings with every gaze and smile. She did it so effortlessly, so unknowingly. The strong impact she held over one person was too immense.

            “Got our stuff,” Mino announced his return, moving one of the chairs back with his foot. “Look who else I found.”

            Seulgi turned to the other side to see their other best friend, Yura, and her current boyfriend, Jonghyun.

            “Yura! There you are.”

            “Here I am!” Yuri excitedly greeted back and sat down next to her. “What’s going on, guys? Did y’all dance yet? Should we go dance?”

            “Seulgi’s knee is still messed up, Yura, c’mon,” said Mino. He pushed a plate of food and Seulgi’s drink to said girl. “Also, we’re eating.”

            “Why you gotta mess up your knee for, Seul.” Yura playfully rolled her eyes but they both knew it was said in jest. “Jonghyun and I just got here. We’re gonna sneak a few dances while you two chill, then. Wanna take pics at the booth and head out later after the homecoming court announcement?”

            “Sure. Who do you think would get it?” Seulgi asked.

            Yura and Mino equally shrugged.

            “Hard to say. Maybe Jennie for homecoming princess,” said Mino.

            “Oh, for sure!” Yura agreed. “Homecoming queen is tough, though. Solar, Krystal, and Irene are on the ballot.”

            “Irene’s on the ballot?” Seulgi subconsciously repeated.

            “Yeah, did you miss the voting booth next to the registration table?” Yura replied, luckily not picking up on the fact that Seulgi only reacted to the mention of Irene only. “There’s still time to vote if you haven’t yet. But anyway, it’s hard to tell with those three.”

            “What about the prince and king?”

            Mino slapped his hands. “Easy. Prince is going to be Taehyung and king is going to be Suho.”

            “Ha?” Yura guffawed. “Nah, prince is Jaehyun and king is Minho Choi.”

            “Oh, that’d be an awkward one if Irene got homecoming queen and Minho got homecoming king,” Mino mentioned and laughed. “The two used to date, if I recall.”

            “Yeah, but it can barely be justified as dating. I think it was only for, like, a month our sophomore year.” Yura shrugged, then turned to her boyfriend, smiling at him. “Well, shall we dance?”

            Jonghyun nodded and bid his farewell to the other two, sticking out his hand for Yura to grab onto.

            “See y’all later!”

            Mino had his mouth filled with cake as he bid farewell whereas Seulgi only nodded. The latter was too engrossed into the fact that Irene was nominated as homecoming queen to even properly say goodbye. Why did it take her only to the main event to realize it? Just the idea of Irene being crowned as queen would be so amazing to see. Seulgi could already visualize it in her head. The unfortunate part was probably having to see her slow dance with the homecoming king, whether it was Suho, Minho, or the unmentioned, Hyungsik.

            Speaking of the angel loitering in her mind…

            “Hi Seulgi. Hi Mino.”

            Once again lost in her train of thoughts, Seulgi hadn’t realized that she had been staring at Irene for so long that she lost sight of the actual physical being. Her mind was muddled with imagining scenes to the point where she failed to see Irene approach her table. The girls who came to her earlier were also long gone.

            “Hey Irene!” Mino greeted. “How’s it going?”

            “Just hanging around. Do y’all mind if I sit here?” Irene pointed at the seat next to Seulgi. Mino answered for the both of them and gestured for Irene to sit down. “Thanks.”

            Taking a deep breath, Seulgi gradually turned to Mino and whispered, “Can you get me another drink, please?”

            Mino stared at the full cup next to Seulgi’s hand. He raised a brow.

            “Please, I’m going to need it.”

            “Only because your knee is broken,” Mino grumbled. “Acting like the punch is spiked. It’s not!”

            After he excused himself back to the refreshment table, Seulgi averted her full attention back onto Irene, who was softly smiling at her.

            Oh, this was going to be tough.

            Like always.

            Much more so because Irene was just too damn beautiful tonight.

**

            After realizing how antsy Mino was after he gave Seulgi another drink, she sent him away, almost practically begging him to dance with someone else who wasn’t her. She couldn’t do that for him anyway, and this also granted her an opportunity to spend time with Irene alone.

            Hence the reason why they were now relocated outdoors, sitting at a makeshift patio the decorations team created. Irene stared up at the strings of lights hanging above them. For someone who looked like they were admiring the lights, she was actually thinking about stringing them a different way.

            (It would have looked better like this, why did I trust those tall boys to handle this for me?)

            “I’m surprised you’re not in there getting a dance or two in,” said Seulgi.

            Irene shrugged as a response. “Dancing among those many sweaty teenagers isn’t really my thing.”

            That earned a light giggle from Seulgi.

            “Can you believe that we’ve known each other since kindergarten?” Irene had her hands palming the edge of her seat, swaying her legs back and forth on top of the cement. She was staring up beyond the twinkling lights, trying to count the stars in the sky. “And we’re seniors now.”

            “We’ve known each other for so long.”

            “Yet it doesn’t really feel like we’re super close,” Irene mumbled. “I’d like to think that we’re close enough…but not that close, you know?”

            “…Yeah.”

            “I…wish it wasn’t like that,” said Irene, which made Seulgi raised a brow. “Like…why didn’t we become better friends?”

            “Life has its own ways for us,” Seulgi replied. “Maybe the reason why we’re not really talking much until now is for a reason.”

            “Do you really believe that it’s because life naturally made us like this?”

            “Well… I guess we also have some part in it, too.”

            “Right. I could be inside right now, trying to dance among those sweaty teenagers and feeling grossed out by other boys trying to dance with me,” Irene commented, awkwardly laughing afterwards.

            “You could be. Or…you could just stay right here and continue to talk to me.”

            There was something about Irene gradually lowering her head to turn to look at Seulgi that made the latter’s heart skip a beat. Something about Irene was unattainable. Physically close, but the reach was far beyond Seulgi’s grasp. Her whole presence felt so grand.

            But Seulgi knew it was anything but grand.

            Irene was just like her in some ways.

            The emotional connection between the two of them deepened to a degree after having spent some time together these past couple weeks.

            While Irene was reserved and looked perfect, Seulgi could sense that she was struggling.

            She just couldn’t quite put a finger on it.

            Just two souls battling inner turmoil sitting together. It didn’t have to be disclosed for them to feel just a tiny bit closer.

            They spent the rest of their time reminiscing, talking about the good ol’ days, and also learning new things about each other. It wasn’t much, but they both thought this was a good start to further progress their relationship. To maybe see what it could be.

**

            The next couple months at school were eventful, to say the least. Homecoming court was announced towards the end of the main event. Turned out homecoming princess was Jennie by a landslide, prince was Jaehyun, queen was Solar, and king was Suho. It made sense. Jennie and Jaehyun were the campus’s junior class heartthrobs, Solar was the student council president, and Suho was the charming boy who took part in a lot of school clubs and teams. They were all popular in their own right and were actively involved with the rest of the students in some way. Irene wasn’t really anything like that.

            Then, Irene found herself coming across Seulgi more often. The heartfelt yet casual conversation they had that night brought them a bit closer. Their greetings were a lot more cheerful and had a few extra words as opposed to just the greeting itself.

            It wasn’t until a month ago did Seulgi and Irene decide to hang out beyond the reason of school. Classes, projects, or even the damn homecoming dance weren’t the reasons to spot them at a tea shop, sipping on their drinks, chatting casually.

            Seulgi already came to terms that she wouldn’t be more than just a friend to Irene, and Irene already came to terms that she, too, wouldn’t be more than just a friend to Seulgi.

            So, they were content with what they had currently.

            Despite the dulling aches, forced smiles, and meek waves that would occur during unpleasant times.

            But fast forward to the present, Irene stumbled across an undisclosed item that she probably shouldn’t have seen. It felt so personal, as if she was invading Seulgi’s privacy for accidentally taking a peek.

            Seulgi was reinstated as the active co-captain of the cheerleading squad. She had to work extra hard in order to get back to the same pace as everyone else, but thankfully coach Yuri and the rest of the squad were helpful enough to assist her in whatever way they could.

            Irene, once not having to do anything on the student council, visited the cheerleading team on her own accord. She was sitting at the bleachers to watch the team practice. Seulgi had noticed her unannounced visit, cheerfully waving at her from where she stood on the thick mats.

            While the team practiced for a routine, Irene glanced down to her side and realized she was sitting next to Seulgi’s belongings, if it was any indication by the infamous bear patchwork stitched onto her backpack. It was like her signature that almost everyone associated her with.

            Her backpack was left ped, a few pages sticking out here and there. Having the intentions of tidying up the materials, Irene tried to organize the loose papers back into the thick textbook it was sticking out of.

            Laid bare on the loose papers were new sketches that Irene had never seen before. She remembered seeing a lot more sketches of the same young girl on Seulgi’s recent Instagram stories. Before she wasn’t able to witness a lot of the features of this person Seulgi was sketching (she wasn’t sure if it was purely based off of Seulgi’s imagination or if Seulgi was drawing an actual person), but now there was a lot more visibility to it.

            The first two sketches she saw conveyed the same feeling – a person’s point of view of this young girl staring out into the unknown. Irene had come to realize that maybe this was a person Seulgi was studying from afar. It was a lot of back appearances and side profiles. Never the front.

            Until she got to the last sketch.

            The visualization looked all too familiar.

            The fine lines sketched out the full frontal of the same girl – Irene knew based off of the long, straight hair and figure that Seulgi would always draw when it came to these sketches.

            Irene remembered this day.

            Seulgi simply wanted to take pictures of their outing (either to post on social media or to keep it to herself, that was purely up to the cheerleader), but Irene couldn’t seem to deny her request. She found herself leaning forward and laughing in one picture, and in the other she gave Seulgi a cheeky smile with her head tilted to the side.

            This was Seulgi’s point of view – how she saw Irene, how she drew Irene, how she had been drawing Irene.

            The sketch had been drawn so carefully, free from messy erased lines and erratic light to dark .

            Irene felt her heart thump against her chest a lot harder by this point.

            It was almost as if she was able to see herself from Seulgi’s point of view, and never had she thought that she would look so carefree and artistically beautiful on paper.

            “Break time!”

            Irene quickly and carefully stuffed the loose sketch back into the history textbook that Seulgi was hiding it in. Thankfully the cheerleader didn’t seem to notice, panting yet chatting with others on their way back to the bleachers.

            “Are you here to save me from a tragic injury again?” Seulgi asked upon greeting, cheekily smiling at Irene.

            “Let’s hope you don’t and keep you moving, yeah?” Irene retorted.

            “Yes, ma’am, I’ll do my best to be careful.”

            “Don’t do it just because I asked you to.”

            Seulgi simply laughed. “I am doing it for myself, too, don’t worry.”

            “It’s nice to see you back on the floor again,” Irene mentioned, shooting a small smile at the co-captain.

            “Ugh, it feels so good to be back. Not going to lie, I really felt like I wasn’t able to come back onto the team.”

            “No way. You’re one of their best!”

            “Been out for almost a month or so. Nationals are coming up soon, so I was rightfully worried.”

            “Of course, of course. I hope you’re not working yourself too hard, Seulgi.”

            “Just enough.” Seulgi winked at her and bent down to her backpack. However, her movements faltered slightly as she ped her backpack to get a water bottle. Her fingers danced across the history textbook, free from loose papers. “Um…”

            Irene didn’t seem to notice what was slowing down Seulgi’s movements.

            “Are you…going to stay until the end of practice?” the cheerleader managed to say.

            Irene raised a brow and teased, “Do you want me to?”

            “Maybe.”

            “If you want me to be here, then just say so, Seulgi.” Irene grinned so widely after her teasing comment, which led the cheerleader to knock her on the shoulder. “Hey!”

            “Hi.”

            “Ugh, that’s annoying.”

            Seulgi stuck her tongue out at her and stood up, getting ready to head back to practice. “I’ll see you later, then.”

            Irene simply shook her head in disbelief at this silly co-captain of a cheerleader.

**

            Fall break sprung upon them like a wash of relief. Irene was glad to have this week free from responsibilities, or at least some of them (because some teachers were cruel enough to assign homework still), and social interaction. She was going to use this time to catch up on needed rest and to mentally recharge before surging back to school to finish the rest of the semester.

            Though, as someone who planned to free herself from all social interactions, Seulgi was the one who contacted her over the break. The cheerleader wanted to hang out at a city hours away from them – she planned to spend the entire day and night and catch the train back home the next morning.

            Irene couldn’t refuse (well, first, she needed permission from her parents to be alone with one other person up north, but of course she wasn’t going to say the entire truth in order for them to let her go).

            When asked about Mino and Yura, Seulgi informed that Mino went overseas to visit extended family and Yura had been spending a lot more time with Jonghyun, so she didn’t want to intrude on their personal time.

            Therefore, yes, Irene felt inclined to agree to the hangout offer and fortunately enough after much coercing, her parents allowed her to go for the day.

            In the wee hours of the morning, they were on the first train ride there where Seulgi laid out her plan in detail.

            “Honestly, I’m not much of an itinerary person. I just work around the things I want to see or do the most,” Seulgi started, showing her phone to Irene so that the latter could see what she wanted to do. “But I wanted to visit this museum. It’s so hard to get tickets, you don’t even know! Then, later we can get lunch at this infamous place known for their pasta and bread. And I don’t have much else after that, but there’s also a good drink place that everyone has been recommending, too.”

            “Sounds good. I’ll just do whatever you’re doing,” Irene said, smiling.

            “Aye, c’mon. You should have looked up some things you wanted to do, too! This city is far, we’re not always going to be here.”

            “Okay, fine. I’ll look later if I still can.”

            The day actually coursed by much more smoothly than Irene imagined. They first checked into their temporary stay of the day – a rented one-story home that basically had all the major rooms combined into one large space.

            It was super simple, but Seulgi and Irene both didn’t seem to mind since they were only going to spend the night at this place before heading back home tomorrow morning.

            Though, what Irene didn’t realize was that there was only one bed in this place that Seulgi booked. Was she going to share that bed with Seulgi? But there was a couch. She could sleep on the couch instead. She wasn’t sure if they were at that stage yet to comfortably sleep together on a bed. Underneath one blanket. Within close proximity.

            That thought had been muddling in Irene’s mind all along until they got to the main attraction of the day – the art museum Seulgi longed to go to. Irene wasn’t much of a museumgoer. The only time she went was because of a class assignment, not out of her own accord. So, as someone who was easily bored, imagine her surprise to see Seulgi increasingly become fascinated by the hanging artwork and sculptures laid across the museum. Like, don’t get Irene wrong, but how could someone be able to understand the tragedy or joyfulness behind abstract ? It just looked like a bunch of lines to her, like someone accidentally splattered paint all over a white canvas and called it a day. Shoot, if that was art, then Irene was up there next to Picasso.

            The sculptures were a different story. Irene was no Michelangelo, so they deserved to be awed at.

            Expressing little to no interest in these exhibits, Irene followed Seulgi around like a little bunny. She saw every nitty gritty detail about the cheerleader – the way her eyes widened at some artworks, looking quite thoughtful about the backstory of each painting or just simply in awe at how someone was able to carve such magnificent detail of a sculpture. When it came across famous artworks that Irene only heard the title of, Seulgi excitedly went into detail about it.

            Irene wasn’t going to admit that most of Seulgi’s words went through one ear and out the other. She was just fascinated at observing how Seulgi’s eyes curved adorably while her smile widened. Who would’ve thought that just taking this cheerleader to an art museum would make her so happy?

            By the time it was noon, Seulgi was able to see everything that she wanted to see. She sighed in delight and thanked Irene for accompanying her, knowing that it wasn’t the most fun hangout someone would ever go on. Irene disagreed. She still had fun in her own away.

            Their day was gradually coming to an end. After filling themselves with tasty pasta and grabbing a drink on the way back to their temporary stay, they decided to rest for a little longer before heading out once more for dinner.

            “Do you ever want to become an artist?” Irene asked.

            They were lounging on the couch while watching an old rerun on the low-quality TV box. Seulgi sipped on her tea and shrugged.

            “Well, yeah,” the cheerleader replied, but she grimaced. “It’s not sustainable, though.”

            “But your artworks are so good. Wouldn’t you be able to profit off of it?”

            “Only if someone really wants it.” Seulgi twirled the straw in her drink to mix the density. “I know I draw and stuff, but it’s mainly just a hobby for me.”

            “I see. You should teach me one day.”

            Seulgi made a sound that was almost like a choked laughter. “Me? You should be asking Mino. He’s more of an artist than I am.”

            “But I want to learn from you.”

            The cheerleader finally looked at Irene since they started watching TV and noticed how serious the request was. It wasn’t a joke or a comment made on the fly, Irene truly wanted to learn one of Seulgi’s hobbies by, of course, Seulgi herself.

            If someone were to tell Seulgi that she would miraculously become a lot closer to Irene, then she wouldn’t believe it. Who were they trying to kid? After knowing each other for years, suddenly they decided to get closer now?

            But anything could happen, it seemed.

            If it wasn’t for homecoming, if it wasn’t for Solar asking Seulgi to make a backdrop, if it wasn’t for Irene being the head of the decorations committee, then Seulgi didn’t think any of this would happen. They wouldn’t be here right now sitting together alone in a rented space hours and hours away from their hometown.

            Why did this feel so…intimate?

            Seulgi tugged up a nervous smile. “Okay, one day.”

            “Before the end of break,” Irene insisted. “When we still have time.”

            “Okay.”

**

            It was almost dinner time when both Seulgi and Irene started dozing off. They didn’t know when it happened, but Irene had simply closed her eyes when they stopped talking and only focused on the rerun. Being in such a cozy atmosphere affected Seulgi, too, so here they were, napping together on the two-seater.

            Their bodies naturally gravitated to positions of comfort. Seulgi woke up first, feeling her back aching from how it was leaning against the armrest. On her hips, however, was a heavy weight that Seulgi was sure couldn’t have been a pillow. She peered down below and gasped, only to find Irene resting on her lower body, arm draped across, legs curled. Irene was basically in a fetal position and Seulgi just happened to be there, partly under her.

            Being so close in an intimate position did wonders to Seulgi’s chest. Irene was still that pretty crush, so of course this was going to make her feel heated.

            Now, it was just a matter of moving away without waking up Irene.

            Swallowing thickly, Seulgi slightly shifted into a more comfortable position before trying to unlatch Irene’s arms from her body. She succeeded in removing one hand, but as soon as she moved it about an inch, Irene grumbled and immediately latched back.

            “…Stay…”

            “H-Huh?”

            “…I’m sleepy…”

            “We should—we should get some dinner, Irene.”

            “…One more hour?”

            “It’s already eight. Places are going to be closing soon.”

            Irene didn’t say anything else, only hummed. That prompted her to finally move away into a sitting position. As she leaned back against the headrest, she rubbed her tired eyes with clenched fists, pouting at the fact that her precious nap was ruined.

            Seulgi couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

            Oh, what she would do to see that more often.

            “Did you not sleep enough last night?”

            Irene groggily shook her head. “No… I probably only got two hours?”

            “Only two!? Why didn’t you sleep on the train ride here?”

            “I can’t really sleep in cars…”

            Seulgi relieved a sigh. “Let’s just try to order delivery here, then. It’s pretty dark outside and we don’t know where everything is.”

            After receiving a nonverbal confirmation, Seulgi went on her phone to search up restaurants that were still open and had the option for delivery. She thought that Irene would help out on her own phone, too, but the latter ended up closing her eyes again and falling to the side, landing her cheek on Seulgi’s shoulder. Seulgi didn’t try to make it too obvious that she tensed up at the impact. She glanced down at Irene, noticing how she attempted at keeping her eyes just slightly open to see Seulgi’s phone and help choose a place.

            “Can I tell you something, Seulgi?” Irene mumbled into her shoulder.

            “Are you going to tell me that you just want to sleep and don’t care for dinner?” Seulgi tried to joke.

            Irene lightly scoffed. “Of course I still want dinner. This is about something else.”

            “Okay…what is it?”

            “Well, um, first…are you single?”

            What an odd thing to ask from Irene. Seulgi couldn’t help but laugh.

            “Why do you want to know that? Are you perhaps trying to hook me up with someone?”

            “Maybe I am?”

            “Okay, then, depends on who it is.”

            “So, I take it that you’re single?”

            “As a pringle.”

            “Ah, your favorite snack,” Irene commented and smiled.

            “So, what’s this all about? Where are we leading to?”

            “Well, that’s not what I wanted to mainly tell you about…” Irene moved away from Seulgi’s shoulder. She ran her fingers through her messy tresses, trying to wake herself up a little more. Seulgi breathed a little too heavily at the sight. “That day I visited you for practice…I kind of accidentally saw your sketches.”

            “My sketches.”

            “Yeah, um…the ones that were in the history textbook.”

            Seulgi lips became tight. “So, it was you.”

            “…You knew someone looked through your backpack?”

            “Well, I had it ped and disorganized. Then, I came back to it zipped and organized.”

            “I-I’m sorry, I just wanted to make it a little neater for you. I swear I thought it was just homework coming out of your book. I—”

            “It’s fine. It’s…” Seulgi lowered her phone and placed it aside, dinner long forgotten. “…It was bound to be seen at some point.”

            Irene fidgeted next to her. Her thumbnail found interest in lightly scraping her forefinger as a form of a nervous habit. An accidental intrusion on her part. Based on Seulgi’s words, it seemed as though the cheerleader wasn’t ready to showcase those sketches yet.

            “How long have you been drawing me?”

            “…A while now. Maybe almost two years already.”

            “Two…two years…” Irene looked like she couldn’t believe it.

            “Yeah. It wasn’t until that day at the café where I decided to sketch your face. I didn’t want to post your photos without your permission, but I also felt like I wanted to share my point of view…of how I saw you.”

            “I see…”

            “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I just… I just wanted to—”

            “No, no, I’m not uncomfortable at all!”

            Seulgi’s eyes slightly widened at Irene’s sudden interruption. The latter looked a bit more frantic to usual.

            “You’re not?”

            “No… in fact, I feel flattered. I… I feel like…”

            Here goes.

            “I feel like I like you a lot more.”

            Seulgi lowered her gaze onto her lap. Her fingers were tracing the denim material of her jeans, nails slightly scratching the fabric. A sullen smile was etched across her face.

            “Of course, as a friend, right?” she wanted to confirm.

            “No…”

            Seulgi immediately stopped playing with her jeans and shot a look at Irene. A brow was raised at how bashful Irene appeared, her eyes darting to the side while her teeth was sinking into her bottom lip.

            “I… I kind of have feelings for you.”

            And I just thought… I just thought you do, too, Irene left unsaid.

            Seulgi sat up properly. Her eyes were a little wild, looking side to side, head spinning, throat dry. She swallowed a dry lump after hearing those words.

            This couldn’t be true.

            “P-Please don’t joke around with me like that.”

            “I’m not!” Irene shot back. “How could you think that?”

            Seulgi stood up from the couch and paced back and forth. She clasped her hands together in front of her chest, thinking and thinking and thinking. Was this actually real? Her crush from kindergarten reciprocating her feelings? This was Irene Bae we’re talking about here!

            “Irene, please…”

            “Look, Seulgi, I just wanted to tell you that. I’m-I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable and that I got the wrong idea. After spending a lot of time with you and getting to know you better, I realized that we’re actually alike. More than I ever thought. So, I felt comfortable with you and wanted to be with you a lot more than usual. I already knew that was a sign, and after seeing your sketches, after realizing that who you’ve been sketching on your Instagram stories was me all along, I thought maybe you like me, too.” Irene ran a palm across her face and through her still messy hair. She stood up from the couch to increase the distance. “But...if that’s not the case, then I’m sorry.”

            Seulgi had long stopped pacing when Irene was confessing her true feelings. With her back still turned towards her, she finally turned around to find Irene almost in shambles. As if that confession took a toll on her. Which, granted, could be true given the history of her relationships.

            “What if…I told you that I have had a tiny crush on you since kindergarten?”

            Irene’s eyes darted up from the floor and onto Seulgi. The widened eyes and furrowed brows expressed her incredulity.

            “I didn’t realize I had always liked you until we entered high school,” said Seulgi. “I knew I was always drawn to you in some way for years now, though. That day you helped me at the gym during my first training session as a cheerleader…that was the day I realized I was crushing on you pretty bad. But I… I didn’t do anything about it. I didn’t think it felt right. We were both dating other people later and I thought that ‘oh, maybe I don’t like Irene anymore,’ but as soon as I saw you again, as soon as you were there by my side as I laid on the gym floor once more, I realized that maybe this wasn’t a crush. It was something much more than that.”

            There was something hauntingly beautiful about the smile that was laying across Seulgi’s lips. It wasn’t an overly ecstatic grin that one would have after realizing their feelings weren’t unreciprocated. This one felt bittersweet. Like a beautiful sadness in some way.

            “I… I didn’t know,” Irene mumbled.

            “Of course you wouldn’t.” Seulgi laughed. Her thumb swiped at a tear lingering at the corner of her eye. “I’m pretty darn good at hiding my feelings.”

            “Why hadn’t you said anything earlier when you realized it?” Irene genuinely asked.

            “It didn’t feel right.” Seulgi sat back down on the couch, which led the other to sit down next to her as well. “There was never, like, a good moment to tell you…. You were either in a relationship, or I was in a relationship, or I felt as though that you wouldn’t like me back that way. I don’t know. I also can’t handle rejection well, I guess, which is why I never told you. Because I was pretty much complacent with the idea of you being ‘the one who got away.’”

            “I guess in situations like this there’s no such thing as ‘the right moment,’” Irene said. “Because even if you wait until the supposed right moment, even if you feel like it is time to say something, it might be too late.”

            “I guess you’re right. Even now I didn’t feel like it was the right moment to tell you…not until you said something first.

            “Thank you, Irene.” Seulgi shared a gaze with her, staring at her so deeply, feeling a deeper emotional connection. They both looked vulnerable at this point after having took that risk and bared their hearts. “I’m glad you said something.”

            “Well,” Seulgi’s ears perked up for that light teasing tone laced in Irene’s fluttery voice, “someone had to.”

            “Oh, c’mon.” Seulgi chortled. “So… does that mean we kiss now?”

            Irene laughed so loudly and beautifully at that point. Her head was knocked back with wide open, hand coming up to cover the indecency. After relaxing a bit from her fit of laughter, she positioned herself onto her knees and cradled Seulgi’s face into her hand.

            “No, doesn’t that mean we go a little further? You know, to make up for lost time?”

            “O-Oh, my God.”

            Irene stifled a giggle. “Now, that was a joke. Let’s take this slow, Seulgi.”

            Okay, that was much more relieving to hear.

            “R-Right! Of course!”

            “So, are we still ordering takeout or?”

            “Y-Yes!” Seulgi cleared and scrambled to get her phone. God, she felt so flushed from the neck up. Why would Irene joke around with her like that? Especially after such a difficult confession from the both of them? “What are you thinking?”

            “I’m okay with anything. Even pizza if it has to come to it.”

            “Okay, I’ll just name some places, yeah?”

            “Sure thing.”

            Honestly, the past ten minutes felt like a blur. It didn’t feel like it happened at all and that this was all just a part of Seulgi’s imagination. So… are they girlfriends now? Could they hug, touch, kiss each other as they see fit?

            Did anything just happen?

            Seulgi was about to ask for some confirmation after choosing a place. That was until Irene slid next to her and hugged her arm with one hand, leaning her head on her shoulder. The other hand was laying comfortably on top of Seulgi’s thigh.

            Okay, yes.

            Maybe it did happen.

            Irene Bae, this beautiful girl she had known since kindergarten, was finally hers.

            And it was mutual.

**

            The week after fall break, Seulgi went to school feeling much lighter than usual. There were light bounces in her steps. A glow was radiating off of her complexion. Her hair looked unusually a lot healthier.

            Something happened over fall break.

            That was what Mino and Yura thought.

            “So, what did y’all do over break?” Yura asked, but it was mainly targeted at glowing Seulgi, eyes narrowing by the second.

            “Went to Japan,” said Mino.

            “Spent some time up north,” said Seulgi.

            That wasn’t the answer Yura was looking for. Seulgi was keeping it really simple, it seemed.

            “Oh, by yourself?” Yura asked Seulgi.

            “Oh no, I went with someone.”

            “With whom?”

            Although Yura didn’t get her answer immediately, she still found out in some way.

            First class of the day didn’t start until fifteen minutes later. They were lingering around on campus, idly standing by Seulgi’s locker since that seemed to be their go-to spot to meet up in the mornings. Seulgi, although glowing, also appeared awfully distracted by something. Her glances at her wristwatch and over Mino’s shoulders (his back was facing the school gate and he was standing in front of Seulgi) were clear signs that she wasn’t completely involved in the conversation.

            “With…um…” Seulgi trailed until her eyes beautifully lit up.

            After raising a brow at the odd behavior, Yura turned to see what Seulgi was looking at and it was just Wendy and Irene strolling onto campus.

            Okay?

            So, it was Wendy and Irene. Why did Seulgi look so gleeful?

            The two newcomers walked closer and closer to the trio until Irene locked gazes with the cheerleader. Almost immediately, Irene, with the biggest grin on her face, removed herself next to Wendy.

            Mino and Yura subconsciously took a step to the side, as if they were the ones who were suddenly in the way of Irene’s path.

            “Good morning,” Irene greeted.

            Before Seulgi could return the greeting, Irene embraced the cheerleader from the side and leaned up to press her lips against her soft cheek. A healthy red spread from Seulgi’s neck all the way up to her cheeks at the result of the affection.

            “G-Good morning!”

            “I’ll see you later,” Irene whispered, delivering another smooth kiss on Seulgi’s cheek once more. She waved at Mino and Yura and walked away with Wendy, who looked like she was about to rocket out of her shoes after what she just witnessed.

            The second Irene and Wendy were out of earshot, Yura shoved Seulgi against her locker and Mino leaned dangerously close on the other side, completely covering the small cheerleader.

            “Okay, what the heck was that!?”

            “When did you two start dating!?”

            “You’re telling me you’re dating Irene Bae!?”

            “You can’t tell me you’re not dating when she kissed you on the cheek! TWICE!”

            “You of all people!?”

            “Irene of all people!?”

            The more Mino and Yura shouted the more Seulgi cowered against her locker. When it looked like the two stopped trying to burst the veins on their necks, Seulgi straightened up and cleared .

            “Since, uh, last week.”

            “Since, uh, last week,’ shut the hell up!” Yura mocked. “Oh, my goodness, so much just happened!”

            “It’s just…it’s just me and Irene dating now…”

            “The Irene!” Mino had to emphasize.

            “Are you guys not supportive of our relationship…?” Seulgi meekly asked.

            “No! We are! We are SO damn supportive of this!” Yura yelled.

            It really didn’t seem like it, though.

            “I just can’t believe it,” Mino muttered and feigned tears. “My baby’s growing up.”

            Seulgi finally realized that Mino and Yura had been joking all this time. They suddenly broke into fits of laughter causing the cheerleader to roll her eyes so hard and shove them to the side.

            “I hate you guys so much.”

            “Oh, honestly though, I’m happy for you.” Yura wrapped an arm around Seulgi’s shoulder, her hand coming up to her soft head of hair. “I hope she makes you happy.”

            “I hope you make her happy, too,” Mino said, throwing his arm around Seulgi as well.

            “Yeah.” Seulgi sighed delightfully. “It feels like I’m in heaven.”

            Maybe Irene was right.

            There might be no such thing as the “right moment” when it came to certain situations. Because, truly, how would one know what was the “right moment?” Risks had to be taken. Steps had to happen. Seulgi was just fortunate enough that Irene was the one who initiated between the two of them. Granted it might have been Seulgi later on down the line, but as Irene mentioned, maybe it would have been too late once she considered what was the right moment.

            For now, though, Seulgi was going to bask in this bliss. Temporary or permanent, it was something to smile over.

 

---

 

Omg, it's finally done! This was a request that was long overdue, lol. I hope this was good enough given the fact that I haven't written for a long while, so I honestly still feel a bit rusty. Hopefully I'll get to my other works soon. Let me know your thoughts!