chapter 1

it wasn’t obvious from the deadpan look on her face, but hyunjin felt like her heart was going to explode. it started beating crazy fast after hwang hyunjin (contact id: idiot) messaged her to meet at the park located outside the dormitories.

at 9 pm, the sky has been dark for a while and maybe some of the students are already sleeping. most of them are out of their dorms, either studying in libraries or drinking with friends, so there weren’t any strict curfews in the campus dormitories. hyunjin went out a lot during the weekends doing the latter ever since her freshman years. she believes that she has to make the most of her early years in college before she becomes a senior. she is mostly accompanied by her best friend and roommate, heejin, while they both force their other introverted roommate, chaewon, to go out and socialize with them. but right now, it wasn't any of those choices. the only good side of it is that she's not out somewhere puking.

she stared at his face for a while, studying his features under the streetlight. hwang hyunjin has a really pretty face—it's one of the things she adores about him. funny how she only got to appreciate it recently after she concluded her feelings for him.

"what is it that you had me go out tonight? whatever it is, make it fast." she pretended to feel annoyed, which is how she usually acts around him, to mask her nervousness.

"kim hyunjin, we've been friends since our first class together on our first semester..." as he dragged the last syllable of his word, she gripped the hem of her sleeve tighter. the possibility of him asking her out at the very moment is the sole thing on her mind.

the two hyunjins became close because of their similar first names. whenever someone says their name inside the lecture room, both of them would turn and look around to search for the voice who called them, consequently catching each other's eyes awkwardly. it became funny and a class joke as the incident became frequent. only in one class, but all the classes they're in since they're both taking arts subjects even though they have different courses, namely arts management and fashion design. awkward bows turned into knowing smiles and now they still turn their heads curiously, but not when their mutual friends do it intentionally, in which they roll their eyes.

they became much closer after getting together after class to drink with their mutual friends. in those moments together, she found herself falling in love with him slowly, often from the little things he does for her. but it's unrequited, or so until now, because the situation right now seemed like a confession. her nervousness and excitement were on par.

"i know you're a really good friend and i trust you a lot, so..." he rubbed the back of his head and his eyes were locked to the ground. she sensed he was nervous too.

so... will you be my girlfriend? a voice in her head finished his sentence.

hwang hyunjin looked up, staring straight into her eyes. "i have a crush on your friend, heejin. you're the closest friend to her and i need your help for her to notice me."

her face went blank. well, that wasn't in any of her expectations. she wanted to doubt herself but she heard it loud and clear. she hurried her brain to think of a response immediately after seeing his face. "since when did you like heejin?" damn it, kim hyunjin. it's a simple yes or no. if she could