Neither girl remembers it, but their first meeting was rather uneventful. In the movies, it always plays out like this:

            Seulgi was sitting on a bench in the park, grinning happily at the strawberry ice cream in her hand despite the mess it was making all over the young girl’s body as it started to melt under the high sun. Her brother had left to talk to his friends near the skateboarding rink, making Seulgi promise to not tell their parents, and Seulgi had agreed immediately when he showed her the double-scoop of ice cream in the waffle cone. She watched the people walk along the wide paths, a family of four here, a cyclist with an orange helmet there, as she the cold treat with gusto. All around the park, constant movement paired with the lazy perching of the sun in the sky, even the clouds crawling in miniscule increments against a pastel blue backdrop.

            The five year-old finished off the first scoop, getting up from the wooden bench to head towards the swings. She knew that her brother would easily be able to find her there, so she carefully measured the distance to the ground and hopped off with the confidence found only in naive young children. Appropriately attributed too, because the minute her feet touched the compact dirt ground, a figure came barrelling into her, pushing the girl onto the ground and causing her to lose her grip on the ice cream cone. Seulgi stared at the brown soil in front of her in shock, not registering the aching in her small palms nor the bits of rock embedded in her chubby knees. There was a moment of silence as the child shifted her eyes about, and when they landed on her overturned dessert, her lips started to quiver and tears filled her eyes.

            “Oh shi-I mean, shoot! Kid, are you alright?”

            Seulgi didn’t answer, eyes still stuck on her unfortunate ice cream cone. The pink liquid almost seemed to melt more quickly, oozing into the ground and creating dark patches in the dirt. This marrying of her treat with nature’s crust greatly upset the small girl, and the tears started to rapidly drip from her eyes, opening with the intent to wail. The voice of the teenage boy who had called out to Seulgi earlier started muttering incoherent sentences when all of the orifices on Seulgi’s face started leaking, and she vaguely heard the sound of rapid footsteps and panicked curses decrescendo as the boy ran away.

            She didn’t know how long she had been there, crying not over spilt milk but its frozen, sugary equivalent, when a slight shadow covered her small body from the unforgiving rays of the blazing star in the sky. Thinking that it was her older brother, Seulgi looked up, ready to tattle on the person who had shoved her to the ground and escaped the crime scene of her ice cream’s murder. He was a big kid for his age, so she trusted him to punish anyone who made her remotely upset.

            However, she was surprised to meet eyes with a girl about her age, only a little taller than Seulgi, staring at the blubbering child with concerned eyes (well, as concerned as a little kid could be). She held out a hand to Seulgi with a small smile, and Seulgi stopped crying at the sight of the nice-looking girl reaching out to her. The other child pulled up the girl on the ground and dusted off Seulgi’s knees for her, checking to see in the tear in Seulgi’s stockings for any spots of red with wide, observant eyes. There were none. Seulgi watched as the girl turned her attention to what remained of the ice cream (just a soggy cone in a sinking puddle of pink) and then back to the smaller child in front of her. Seulgi pouted, wanting to cry again, but the girl in front of her patted her head.

            “There, there.” Her high-pitched, child’s voice tried to imitate her perception of a mature adult’s, and her hands were as small and chubby as Seulgi’s, fingers spread wide like that of a baby petting a dog. Seulgi relaxed a little under the light pats and peered up at her saviour. “Don’t cry. Is that your ice cream?”

            Seulgi nodded. “My oppa got it for me, but now it’s gone.” Her lips quivered again.

            “Hmmm…” the other girl hummed. She stuck out her lips in thought before smiling widely and clapping her hands in excitement. “I can buy you a new one!” She looked at Seulgi for her reaction. “Do you like that?”

            Seulgi smiled, eyes folding into crescent moons. “Really?” She clapped too.

            The other girl nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah!” She shoved her hand into her pocket and clumsily pulled out two crumpled bills and a few coins. “My mommy gave me this for ice cream, so you can have it!” She grabbed Seulgi’s hand and pulled her toward the ice cream vendor’s cart. “What’s your name? I’m Joohyun.”

            “I’m Seulgi.”

            “How old are you?”

            “Five.”

            “Oh, I’m six!” Joohyun stopped to turn and look at Seulgi. “I’m your unnie, then!”

            Seulgi nodded, suddenly feeling shy. Her lips pressed and unpressed in a closed position, wanting to try calling the older girl unnie. It felt weird, because she only had an older brother.

            “Un...unnie...Joohyun unnie?”

            Joohyun nodded encouragingly and turned back forward to resume their journey to get Seulgi’s ice cream. “That’s me!”

When they got to the cart, the bearded man gave them a grin and asked what he could get the two girls. Joohyun told him that she was just buying Seulgi a new cone because the younger girl had dropped her first one, and the man crooned that she was such a good unnie as he scooped a big serving of strawberry ice cream onto the cone. Joohyun carefully placed the money in his hands and thanked him as the girls headed back to the bench, Seulgi’s right hand holding her new cone and her left hand in Joohyun’s right one. Joohyun helped Seulgi get back on the bench, and soon after, Seulgi’s brother came over to her, lightly jogging when he saw his sister.

            “Hey, Seul. Who’s this? A new friend?”

            Seulgi nodded. “Oppa, this is Joohyun unnie. She got me a new ice cream.”

            Her brother frowned. “I thought I bought you enough. Two scoops.”

            Seulgi merely pointed to the spot beside him, where a crushed cone was scattered on top of a dark splotch in the ground.

            “Oh, you dropped your cone again?” He laughed and ruffled his sister’s hair before turning to the patient kid watching the siblings interact. “Thanks, Joohyun.” He turned back to Seulgi. “Did you say thank you, Seul?”

            “Thank you, unnie.”

            “Good job.” Her brother checked the time on his digital watch. “Well, Joohyun, it was great meeting you. Seulgi and I have to go home now, because we have a curfew, but we’ll see you around, alright?” Joohyun nodded and watched the older boy help Seulgi down from the bench, taking care that she wouldn’t drop her cone a second time. Seulgi waved at her and smiled as she left, hand-in-hand with her older brother, leaving Joohyun to wave back in her place. The girl walked over to where her parents sat on the grass, chatting amiably to a few adults, trusting their smart daughter to not wander too far.

            “Hey, sweetie. Did you have fun? Ready to go home?”

            Joohyun nodded. “I met a friend today! Her name is Seulgi.”

            Her father smiled widely and patted his lap. Joohyun sat in his embrace and let him rock her gently back and forth. “That’s great to hear. Does she live in this area?”

            Joohyun thought hard and shrugged. They hadn’t talked much, but she liked the girl.

            “Hmmm, that’s too bad.” Her father continued to sway. “Well, let’s hope she does, so you and her can play sometime.”

            Joohyun nodded, liking that idea. She closed her eyes tightly and prayed that Seulgi lived in her neighbourhood, because she really liked the idea of meeting the girl with chubby cheeks and the crescent eye smile again.

            Or this:

            Seulgi watched excitedly as the movers busily moved about, pulling large cardboard boxes from the equally (from a child’s perspective) large rental truck. She jumped up and down and called out to her mother, telling the smiling woman that ‘the truck is so big!,’ ‘they’re really gonna be our neighbours?’. Her mother scooped up the hyperactive girl and bounced her lightly, reminding Seulgi that she should calm down and that they would meet the new family later. Seulgi continued babbling about boxes and trucks and movers as her mother walked away from the window towards the kitchen to give Seulgi her afternoon snack.

            The small child was happily munching on animal crackers and spewing out crumbs as she talked, when Seulgi’s father announced his arrival back home from work and his wife went out to greet him. The little girl’s eyes widened as she saw her father.

            “Daddy!”

            Seulgi’s father placed his stuff down and washed his hands before lifting his daughter and kissing her cheek. “Hello, princess. You seem very excited today.”

            Seulgi bounced up and down in his hold, making her father shift her upwards so she wouldn’t permanently damage his hip. “The new people are here!”

            Her father nodded and chuckled. “I know, honey. I talked to them on my way in.”

            His wife stood next to him, taking Seulgi from his arms and setting her back down in the chair for her to finish her snack. “That’s good to hear. Are they almost finished moving then?”

            He nodded. “They seem like great people. They offered to make dinner for us sometime once they’re settled.” He looked at Seulgi. “They’ve got a daughter about our age. I think they said she was six.”

            “Well, seems like our little energizer bunny just got someone to burn off all her energy with!”

            They laughed, until a knock sounded at their door, light raps that made its way into the kitchen and presided over the booming laughter. Seulgi’s mother widened her eyes in surprise and brought Seulgi down from her chair, holding her small hand as they walked toward the door. “That must be them!”

            Indeed, the family of three greeted the Kangs as the door opened, faces smiling and eyes curious. The parents were good-looking people, both with strong features, jet black hair, and pale skin that passed onto their young daughter, who bowed to Mrs. Kang before waving at the small girl behind her.

            “Hi! We’re the Baes. Just wanted to drop by and meet your family, since we’ll be neighbours.” The man looked down at his daughter. “Joohyun, say hello!”

            “Hello!”

            Seulgi’s mother smiled at the little girl. “Oh yes, so nice to meet you! My husband just met you outside and told me that you were almost finished moving the boxes in. Would you like to step in for a drink before you start unpacking?”

            Mrs. Bae frantically waved her hands. “Oh no! We don’t want to bother you.” She glanced at her husband. “We’ve told your husband about this too, but hopefully we can host a dinner instead, once everything’s settled.” She looked down at her daughter this time, who was peering up at her curiously. “We’re trying to unpack quickly and get everything settled, but with this little one around, it might take a while.” She chuckled.

            Seulgi’s mother patted her daughter’s head from where Seulgi hid behind her legs. “If you are okay with it, we can look after her while you unpack for today.” She shifted slightly to reveal Seulgi, who followed her mother’s movement. “We’ve got a little one too who’s five years old, so I think they’ll get along well.” She squatted down to face Seulgi. “Seulgi, didn’t you say you wanted to meet the neighbours? You should say hi!”

            The young girl blinked twice nervously but upon glimpsing at the older girl smiling in front of her, purple t-shirt and white shorts rustling with the soft breeze, Seulgi felt her shyness melt away and she hurried forward to bow at the Baes.

            “Hello! My name is Kang Seulgi.”

            “Hi, Seulgi!” Mrs. Bae also squatted down to talk to her daughter. “Joohyun, Seulgi is your neighbour now. You’re her unnie. You guys can play together!”

            The two girls looked at each other, all smiles and giggles. They were looking forward to seeing each other often, younger and older already having taken a liking to the other.

            In the movies, that’s how it would play out. An accidental meeting with someone saving the day. Two families becoming neighbours, so compatible that their children just click immediately. Destiny. Fate. All that good stuff.

But it was nothing like that at all. They were stupid little kids at an intro ballet class for children under twelve; Seulgi had whined to her parents for a week about wanting to wear the frilly tutus from the department store, and Joohyun was forcibly enrolled by her mother, who believed that children should experience a little bit of everything in life. Either way, neither girl wanted to dance, per se, and they especially didn’t want to dance in front of others, both being extremely shy. Of course, they had no say in the matter.

            They walked into class, whining to their respective mothers, and scowled as they were seated for roll call. All the parents watched from the back of the class for the first meeting as the instructor introduced herself and tried to hype up the children, some of whom most definitely did not want to be there (Exhibit A: a sulking Kang Seulgi staring at the polished wooden floor instead of paying attention to her teacher; Exhibit B: Bae Joohyun looking around the studio room wondering if the lights were brighter than the ones at the dentist). The words drifted in through one ear and out the other as the teacher droned on and on, before she finally clapped her hands to let the class know that they’d be introducing themselves as well. Two pairs of eyes frowned and shifted about nervously before they met each other, and in that moment, Kang Seulgi and Bae Joohyun, despite being five and six, respectively, came to a mutual understanding of the torture they were about to face. It wasn’t much really, just two girls not wanting to speak in front of others.

            Seulgi and Joohyun didn’t even become friends until much later on in the year, when their mothers, through that chatting all mothers do while waiting for their children to finish their extracurricular classes, found out that the Kangs and Baes lived four blocks away from each other, a three minute drive for which carpooling occurred frequently. However, unlike their eager mothers, the girls didn’t even speak to each other for five weeks. They just sat in the back, staring out the windows and simultaneously wondering if it would be a breach of anything if they ever switched the side of the car they sat in, Joohyun always on the left and Seulgi always on the right. And when they did speak, no one remembered who initiated the conversation, or why it even happened. They just talked once and started talking everyday after that, and somehow, they became friends.

            Perhaps that’s the important part. Neither girl remembers how they ended up in each other’s lives, but it just happened as if all friendships are meant to start that way, in that spontaneous, unexpected manner.

-------

            “Wait, no, Joohyun. I need to tell you something.”

            “Well, I need to tell you something too!”

            “Me first. Please.”

            “No, I’m the one who called you here, remember?”

            “But it’s important!”

            “Yah, my thing’s important too!”

            The two middle schoolers glared at each other as Seulgi’s older brother walked by, shaking his head as the girls argued. The college sophomore muttered something about preferring to stay in the dorms over seeing teenagers catfight before slamming his room door shut.

            The girls were currently standing in Seulgi’s room by request of Joohyun, who had been acting nervous throughout dinner. The adults (both Kangs and Baes) had noticed but not said anything, already knowing what was about to go down. They had to admit that it was an ironic situation, one that would hopefully be looked back on as a fond, funny memory by their daughters, but they could only say that because they were in the loop, both with their kids and with each other.

            “Listen, I’m really serious, Seulgi. I’ve been meaning to tell you this for weeks now.”

            Seulgi looked curiously at her older friend, visibly deflating in defeat. She was always the one to give in despite being more stubborn than Joohyun, but it was only because Joohyun was older, and Seulgi had at least that bit of respect for the year two middle schooler. They had this weird dynamic where they shared everything with each other, secrets, clothes, and once even a toothbrush (this was completely unintentional and Joohyun still held it as leverage over Seulgi) and were equals when having conversations or hanging out, but when it came to stuff like this, Seulgi always gave in and Joohyun always knew that Seulgi would give in. That was the way of their world.

            “Fine. Go ahead.” Seulgi pouted, slouching, but straightened a few seconds later. “Wait, can I ask you something though?”

            Joohyun raised an eyebrow, not pleased but deciding to be the gracious older friend. “Sure, why not.”

            “Why were you avoiding me the entire week?”

            Joohyun gulped. “What?”

            Seulgi frowned, trying to recall the events of the past seven days. “I wanted to walk home with you, but you said you had projects to do. I went to the library to study while I waited, but you weren’t there. You didn’t join me for lunch either.” She narrowed her eyes at the older girl. “What’s up?”

            Joohyun sighed, seeing that she had to say it now. “Okay, I’ll tell you, but don’t freak out or anything alright?”

            Seulgi panicked, of course. “Wait, is this what I think it is? I swear, you’ve been nervous around me for the past month, and even at dinner, you kept sneaking glances at me—I saw you, don’t deny it—and gosh, wait, if I’m right, I need to tell you—”

            “Please don’t interrupt me, Seulgi, I swear to God, you promised—”

            “I don’t want you to freak out, either, but I really can’t—”

            “I can go first—”

            “wait any longer—”

            “gonna say—”

            “to tell you—”

            “I’m gay!”

            Both girls looked at each other, wide eyes mirroring the other’s surprise with the same intensity. The picture they painted—mouth gaping, arms slack, and eyes unblinking as the rest of the world went on with their lives (literally, someone outside of Seulgi’s window started drunk singing as their parents giggled quietly, having caught on that the abrupt silence after all that shouting finally meant the girls let it out)—was undeniably comical and would have been so for the girls as well, if they weren’t busy trying to process the synchronized phrase that left both of their mouths in their chaotic attempts at dominating the conversation. Seulgi was the first one to break out of her trance, slapping her face lightly and poking Joohyun’s motionless face in the cheek before exhaling loudly and plopping down on her bed. The squeak of the bed frame snapped Joohyun out of her reverie as well, and she hesitantly stepped towards the bed before muttering a quiet ‘ it’ and launching herself next to Seulgi.

            They were silent for a while, staring at the glow-in-the-dark star stickers on the ceiling of Seulgi’s room before Joohyun nudged her friend.

            “I can’t believe you ruined my coming out speech.”

            Seulgi snorted. “Well, at least you're not alone in that aspect.”

            Joohyun sat up slightly, leaning on her elbow, and turned to face Seulgi. “Wait, how long have you been planning to tell me? When did you find out?”

            Seulgi turned her head to look at the older girl. “When did you find out?”

            “I asked you first.”

            “Fine.” Seulgi looked at the ceiling again. “I found out about...five weeks ago? Like, I was talking to Sunmi unnie, and I realized that I kinda wanted to kiss her.”

            Joohyun nodded. “I see.”

            “How about you?”

            “Me?” She rolled her eyes about, calculating. “I think about the same. Just was thinking about things, asked Google some stuff, realized that I like girls and have absolutely no interest in boys. And it’s definitely not a phase either, because I haven’t ever, like ever, felt any sort of attraction to a guy.”

            “Is that why you were avoiding me?” Seulgi furrowed her eyebrows and shot up, hair flicking Joohyun’s face in the process. “Do you like me?!”

            Joohyun shrieked, which made Seulgi turn back to see the girl looking at her horrified. “No!”

            Seulgi breathed out, clutching onto her heart. “Oh thank baby Jesus, I was afraid you’d say yes.” She glanced at the older girl, clarifying her words further: “I mean, like, not that you’re hideous or anything, but we’re best friends, and I don’t want to ruin any between us just because we’re both gay and there’s not a lot of options in our small neighbourhood, especially with the super conservative grandpas everywhere chucking stuff at anyone who so much as hugs too long in front of their porches.”

            Joohyun nodded, understanding. “Yeah no, I totally get that.” She smiled at Seulgi. “I don’t like the idea of losing my best friend either.”

            “Glad to know we’re on the same page.” Seulgi turned her body completely and sat cross-legged in front of Joohyun on the bed. She stuck out her pinky finger and motioned for Joohyun to reciprocate.

            “What’s this?”

            “Hmmm, it’s called a pinky promise. Generally, two people—”

            “No, no, I know what it literally is.” Joohyun gestured at Seulgi’s hand. “I’m asking why you’re suddenly doing it.”

            “Oh,” Seulgi said, raising her eyebrows. “Well, I’m going to make you a promise.” She dragged Joohyun’s pinky to hers and wrapped them around each other. “Come on.”

            “Am I really making a promise without knowing the details of the promise?”

            “Oh, don’t be pessimistic,” Seulgi said. “I won’t kill you or anything.”

            Joohyun snorted. “Yeah, let’s just ignore the time you ran over my toe with your bike.”

            “Hey, that was an accident!” Seulgi motioned towards Joohyun’s body. “And you’re alive, aren’t you?”

            “Uh-huh.”

            Seulgi shook her head, clearing her thoughts. “Anyway! I’m doing this so we’re on the same page.”

            “Fine. Go ahead.”

            Seulgi clasped their hands together and closed her eyes. “Bae Joohyun, I promise you that we will remain best friends, the bestest of the bestest of friends, for life. It doesn’t matter that we’re different or that we’re the most asocial beings in Korea, because that’s why we vibe well.” She opened her eyes and looked at Joohyun, making sure the older girl was following her words. “I will be there for you if you need me, and I trust you to do the same. Because we’re best friends.”

            Joohyun smiled, shoving Seulgi lightly. “You’re so cheesy, Kang. It’s like I’m getting an early proposal.” She narrowed her eyes playfully. “You’re not practicing on me, right?”

            Seulgi smiled, eyes folding into crescents. “I don’t know, Bae. Maybe it is a proposal. A best friends for life proposal.”

            Joohyun nodded, pleased with the answer. “Fine, I’ll allow that.”

            “You know you feel the same.”

            Joohyun laughed, grasping Seulgi’s hand on top of their interlocked pinkies. “Best friends for life it is.”

-------

            “You know, I always feel a bit weird knowing that Nabokov wrote Lolita when I read this.”

            “What is it?” Joohyun leaned over to see what Seulgi was reading. “Is it a poem?”

            “No,” Seulgi said, rolling over on her bed and patting the space beside her for Joohyun to join her. “It’s a letter to his wife.”

            Joohyun left Seulgi’s desk, where half of the clutter came from her papers, books, and stationery, and lay down next to her friend. She read the words on the small screen of Seulgi’s phone.

            “That’s actually pretty romantic.”

            Seulgi sighed, turning off her screen and setting her phone aside. “Like, who knew men could actually be romantic? I always thought it was just a k-drama trope.”

            “Or maybe it’s because he’s a writer?”

            “Mmm,” Seulgi hummed in agreement. “That’s plausible.”

            “Ooooh, fancy word, you’re using right there. Plausible.” Joohyun lightly jested, nudging Seulgi’s shoulder with her own. “Is that from the new vocab book they use for year three vocab?”

            “Oh, shut up,” Seulgi mumbled, glaring at Joohyun. “I just showed you something cute.”

            “You also told me that that same dude wrote Lolita,” Joohyun pointed out.

            “Ugh, whatever.”

            “Uh-huh.”

            Seulgi stretched her arms out in front of her. “Imagine though. Like, you could meet someone who’s just so good with words that they sweep you off your feet.”

            “Aren’t you just Miss-little-romantic? What if they’re a serial murderer?”

            “Well, I don’t think many writers are.” Seulgi frowned. “I hope.” She relaxed again. “I don’t care, man. Imma date a writer, lol.”

            “Whatever floats your boat.”

            “Whatever eases your Jesus,” Seulgi tagged on, feeling inspired to craft her words wittily, a trait she saw as absolutely essential to entertain her to-be significant other (it was at this point in her life, her ideal girl switched from being a y CEO to not-as-y but smart writer). She stared at Joohyun with a smirk on her face, challenging her to continue.

            Joohyun let out a small smile and shook her head. “Whatever cleans your jeans.”

            “Whatever sells your hell.”

            “Okay, I lose.”

            “I knew it.” Seulgi smirked triumphantly. “I’ll be able to beat my future writer girlfriend now.”

            Joohyun just laughed at her. She knew it wouldn’t be long before Seulgi’s ideal type changed once again.

-------

            Joohyun peered outside the window, letting her biology teacher’s lecture pass over her head as she stopped taking notes and watched the rain fall. The skies were a plane of grey, only small hints of the sun that they were hiding manifesting in blotches, as if someone splashed a paintbrush dipped in diluted white paint across the dark canvas. She sighed. Rainy days were not at all her favourite type of days, because she hated the feeling of the damp jeans against her leg as she struggled to keep her umbrella upright to cover both herself and her backpack. It was getting much too cold to wear shorts, so Joohyun knew that there was no getting out of that wet dog scent with her outfit today. Maybe she should’ve just worn a uniform, casual Fridays be damned.

            There was still one period left until school ended, so when the bell rang to signal the end of sixth period. As the students got up to talk to each other while the history teacher was on his way to their classroom, Joohyun laid her head on the table, face still turned to the vast, sandy area at the front of their school. She hoped the rain would stop, because Joohyun knew that she forgot to bring her umbrella again. As she always did whenever the sky decided to release its wet wrath on the unsuspecting (okay, well maybe not, since weather reports and all—Joohyun was just stupid) humans on earth.

            Seventh period dragged on slowly, and much to Joohyun’s dismay, the rain didn’t stop. It actually became heavier, slicing through the cold atmosphere like knives made of life-giving but fever-inducing compounds. Joohyun sighed and placed her chin on her forearm, which was on the desk, while writing something down about some historical event that she knew she’d never think about twice once she graduated. She gave up and just doodled in the corner of her notes, jotting down some words in an unstructured poem after drawing several tornadoes.

            When the class was dismissed, Joohyun thanked the heavens that first years didn’t have to stay back to self-study and rushed down the stairs to tell her club members that she was not going to be able to attend the meeting for today. Thankfully, she bumped into someone in her geography club and asked that she relay the message instead.

            “Joohyun!”

            Joohyun glanced through the crowd in the hall to find a familiar face waving at her from outside of the building doors. The third year middle school student smiled, shifting her umbrella upwards to show Joohyun. The first year high school student smiled and pushed through the rowdy teenagers, making sure not to let her books fall out of her hands.

            “Hey, Kang Seul. Fancy seeing you here. Wasn’t expecting it.”

            Seulgi mocked surprise. “Do you not want me to be here?” She started walking away, very slowly. “I can leave then.”

            “No!” Joohyun launched herself at the younger girl, squealing when she came in contact with the rain. Seulgi automatically shifted the umbrella to cover both of them, taking care to make sure Joohyun’s books weren’t getting wet. “I was joking, you idiot.”

            Seulgi stuck her tongue out. “I was joking too, idiot.” She wrapped an arm around Joohyun’s shoulder to bring her closer into the cover, so natural that none of the students nearby were surprised at the smooth move. “I knew you’d forget your umbrella. Yet again.”

            Joohyun huffed. “I never have time to check the weather forecast in the morning, okay?”

            “Mmhmm.”

            “Yah!” Joohyun looked up to glare at the monolidded girl, who was now taller than her. Seulgi continued to stare straight ahead, eyes amused, as she maneuvered the two of them around the departing students and away from huge puddles (she was doing it because she wore nice sneakers that day, not because Joohyun hated getting her socks wet).

            “Well, at least you know that I’ll always be your knight in shining armour, although I personally feel like a chauffeur with an umbrella instead of a limousine at this point.”

            Joohyun punched Seulgi’s arm but smiled to herself. Then, “What were you going to do if I went to my club today? It would have taken at least twenty minutes.”

            Seulgi shrugged, the arm around Joohyun’s shoulder shifting up then down on Joohyun’s upper back with the motion. “It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve waited for you to finish up so we can walk home together.”

            “But it’s so cold! You’ve always waited outside here?” Joohyun frowned. “Doesn’t your school finish an hour earlier than mine?”

            “Yeah, but I have an umbrella. I’d rather wait a while in the cold than have to deal with your whiny, sick for a week in the case that you get sick from the rain because I didn’t walk home with you.”

            “Hmmpfh.”

            They were silent for a while, walking past the small family houses as the rain dropped on their umbrella in varied staccato beats. Seulgi hummed lightly, sending vibrations along Joohyun’s left shoulder, and took a quick glance at Joohyun to make sure her backpack wasn’t getting wet. Seulgi’s house came into view after a few minutes, and Joohyun started squirming as she adjusted the flaps of her coat over her books.

            “Okay, we’re almost at your house, so Imma make a run for mine once we get there. Thanks, Seul.”

            Seulgi tightened her hold on Joohyun’s shoulders. “Nonsense, I’ll drop you off at yours first.”

            “Yeah, but my house is further down the block,” Joohyun reasoned.

            “I’m the one with the umbrella. My ride, my rules.”

            Joohyun scrunched her nose. “Some ride this is. If my cab driver walked me to my destination, I wouldn’t pay him.”

            “Yeah, well. You aren’t paying me either, so I guess it works out.”

            “Seulgi,” Joohyun whined, dragging out her name. She didn’t want to bother her best friend. “I promise I’ll be fine.”

            The younger girl shook her head. “Nope. Can’t change my mind.”

            “I’m older than you,” Joohyun warned.

            “And I’m bigger and stronger than you,” Seulgi countered.

            Joohyun stopped abruptly, realizing that they were now directly in front of Seulgi’s house. “Yeah, but you wouldn’t ever win me in a brawl.”

            “Wanna test that out?” Seulgi shot back.

            They stared at each other, neither girl wanting to give in, until Joohyun sighed. “Fine, let’s compromise. I can stop by your house to say hi to everyone and you can let me borrow one of your umbrellas to go back home.”

            Seulgi thought about the proposal. She knew that if she let the older girl borrow an umbrella, it would stay at Joohyun’s house until her parents visited Seulgi’s and brought them all along. At one point, she had collected thirteen of the umbrellas from the Kang household (luckily, Seulgi’s father was a reporter and received many gifts, umbrellas included), and Joohyun’s parents had looked sheepish as they unloaded the assortment of the rainy day essential in the foyer. Joohyun should've looked more sorry, Seulgi personally thought.

            “Okay, fine. But stop making your poor parents carry them all back to our house, you ungrateful stick of butter.”

            “Alright, I’ll make Yerim do it instead.”

            Seulgi let go of Joohyun’s shoulder and flicked the smaller girl’s forehead, still holding the umbrella carefully to prevent her best friend from getting wet. “You owe me like, a million bags of chips by now. I’m still waiting for my payment for lending you umbrellas.”

            “Awww, and here I was thinking it was pro bono, since you’re just such a kind-hearted soul.”

            “Flattery doesn’t work on me, Joohyun.”

            “Okay, but even if I said you were really pretty?”

            “That only works when it’s not you saying it.”

            “Aw shucks.”

            The younger girl unlocked and pulled open the door, letting her friend in before closing and shaking the umbrella to make it drip less and shuffling into her house. Mrs. Kang poked her head out, greeting the girls when she saw that her child’s best friend dropped by.

            “Hi, mom. Seulgi keeps bullying me.”

            Seulgi snorted. “First she takes our umbrellas. Then she takes my place as the daughter of this household.”

            “Honey, if you had half the grades Joohyun did, I wouldn’t have accepted this arrangement either.”

            “Yeah, Seulgi. I’ve usurped you and taken my rightful place as Princess Kang.”

            Seulgi huffed. “This isn’t fair. It’s two-to-one.” She dropped off her stuff and walked to the kitchen to wash her hands. “Princess Kang Joohyun, did you want anything to drink before you head back, you two-timer?”

            Joohyun laughed. “You’re just jealous both our parents love me more than you.” She then added, “Do you still have that Calpico I left last time?”

            Seulgi grabbed it from the fridge and passed it to her friend, who thanked her, before plopping down next to her on the sofa. Her mother had already headed back to her workspace (she was a freelance editor) to allow the girls to talk. “I beg to disagree. I’m sure your parents love me more than you.”

            “Let’s be honest, if you weren’t so artistically inclined, they wouldn’t even glance in your direction.”

            Joohyun’s father was a semi-famous music producer, while her mother was an art history professor at a local university. Seulgi was both musically and artistically talented, so the older Baes always swooned over her when they conversed during dinners at the Bae household. They’d always wanted Joohyun to try more things, especially in the creative realm, in order to engage their daughter in a liberal education and widen her perspectives, but Joohyun preferred reading and following a set routine over relying on spontaneous bouts of inspiration. They did constantly ask if she wanted to write though, since she loved reading so much. She always said no.

            “Well, I’ve gotta compensate somehow for the lack of academic prowess.” Seulgi got up and nodded her hand at Joohyun’s now empty bottle. “You done with that?”

            Joohyun handed her the bottle, which Seulgi threw out. “I guess I’ll be heading back now.” She picked up her backpack, stuffing her books inside and slinging it over her shoulders. “I’ve got so much work,” she groaned.

            Seulgi patted her head and walked with the older girl to the foyer, pulling out a lavender-coloured umbrella. “Here, your favourite.”

            “Thanks.” They briefly hugged, and Joohyun smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Movie night.”

            Seulgi nodded. “Text me when you get back.”

            “Okay, bye.”

            Seulgi waved from her doorway as Joohyun sped away on her tiny legs, moving right and left to avoid the puddles. She shook her head at the sight; the girl really hated getting wet. Closing the door, Seulgi headed up to room and settled on her bed, pulling out her phone. She held it in her hands, counting down starting from twelve hundred. Seulgi knew that when she hit zero, Joohyun would finally arrive home and text her a short ‘Do you miss me yet? :P’ before hitting the books.

-------

            “Hey, Joohyun, is your family joining us for the beach trip this year too?”

            “We’ve joined every single time for the past decade. I don’t know why you still ask every time.”

            Seulgi winked. “I’d be bored without you, so just making sure.”

            From besides them, Joohyun’s younger cousin Yerim fake gagged. “Can you two just date already? Or even better, marry and move away to another country so I don’t have to bleach my eyes?”

            Joohyun glared at the middle schooler. “You better tone down that spiciness before I tell your mom.” Joohyun coughed. “And I told you, we’re just best friends. ”

            “Uh-huh. And I hate Girls’ Generation.”

            Seulgi furrowed her eyebrows. “But you don’t—” She glanced at her best friend for help when the understanding hit