The sun was already up when she opened her eyes. The faint sounds of traffic and the murmurings of pedestrians coming from the window signalled her that the town was alive. She yawned. It had been a while since she had slept till this late. Her body was still half asleep.

Sighing, she rolled onto her side and tugged her big lion plushie to her chest sleepily. She had gotten it as a gift from her parents before she moved to the dorms. It was a nice reminder she had of home, as well as a comfortable pillow to lie on when she was searching for a relaxing position.

Luckily for her, it wasn’t a school day. It had been a long time since the last time she was late for class. Since entering college, she had made a proper effort to be on time for classes, and she wasn’t going to end her streak like this. However, she remembered that she was supposed to have woken up earlier to do some research for her upcoming project, so she couldn't stay in bed any longer.

Reaching for her phone that had been pushed to the side of her bed sometime in the middle of the night, she automatically scanned her inbox for a familiar giraffe contact name. There were some messages from Miyeon, asking if she would like to join her and Minnie for a manicure later. Minnie had also texted to ask if she was feeling alright, as well as offer the same invitation.

However, there were no new messages from Yuqi. The last message in their thread was from the night before, when she had messaged to say that she had reached her dorm.

Somehow, that fact unsettled her. With the couple around, she would have definitely woken up by now. Surely, if Yuqi had meant what she said, and felt similarly, she would have said something about it.

Perhaps she had been completely off with her assessment of the other girl. Everything that Yuqi had done may not have been meant in the way that she had taken it to mean. It wouldn’t have surprised her if that was the truth of the matter. As much as they had spent quite a bit of time together as of late, Yuqi was still a mystery. Someone so genuinely affectionate and eager to understand her even though she wasn’t the easiest person to get to know, there had to be something that she was not seeing.

Then again, Yuqi didn’t have much romantic experience, so perhaps she didn’t realise the extent of the effects of her actions. She could just be treating her like a potential friend. Soyeon paled at the thought. If that was the case, she would have acted too hastily. She thought back to the night before. It was a presumption that Yuqi’s statement had been directed at her, because the freshman had been rather inebriated. For all she knew, Yuqi could have been thinking of someone else, or it could have been an alcohol induced exaggeration, like when someone said “I love you” when someone else did a favour for them. Or worse, Yuqi may not even remember what happened, much less saying it.

Part of her was wondering if she had been the one who had been delirious due to the alcohol, and misunderstood the entire situation. She placed her hand on her forehead, but her temperature didn't seem higher than normal. Her brain was probably overworking, but the situation made her mind hazy.

All she knew was that there was only one person who’s voice she wanted to hear at the moment.

She swiped through her contact list before pressing on a name. The ringing lasted for few repetitions, before someone picked up. There was a bustling noise in the background, and then she heard a familiar soft voice speaking into the mic.

“Hello?” She could hear the slight waver in the soft whisper of Soojin’s voice. Soyeon’s number wasn't an unfamiliar one, but texting had always been their normal mode of communication. The TA had also mentioned that she wasn't comfortable picking up unfamiliar numbers or phone calls in general, so Soyeon supposed she was already considered lucky.

“Hi, Jjinjin-ah!” Soyeon called out into the phone with as much exaggeration as she could muster. She thought of the lilting tone that Yuqi’s roommate had used during the short snippets of the phone call that she had witnessed.

There was a decisive moment of silence after she said her greeting. Soyeon imagined the blonde girl taking a second to stare suspiciously at her phone screen. And then, her voice was back.

“Soyeonie?” Her heart lifted at the affectionate nickname. They had dropped their formalities after getting closer, but it was still nice to hear her name in such a manner. “It’s you, right?”

“Yep.” She affirmed. She could almost see Soojin‘s shoulders sag in relief. “Is this a bad time?”

“I just finished dance practice, so I’ve got some free time.” Her friend replied, but she sounded distracted.

There were squeaks from rubber soles of shoes as they slid against polished floorboards. Soyeon could hear a zipper, as well as shuffling and movement of fabric. The dancer was probably in the midst of packing up. Hence, she took it as a signal to wait. Soyeon could hear her say a few short greetings to other people from her class presumably.

Then, there were echoes of footsteps until those were replaced by the sound of wind into the speaker. Soojin had probably gone outside for privacy, she figured. There was a metallic thud as a door hit the concrete wall. Then, there was silence. Soyeon waited for the other girl’s signal that she was ready to continue the conversation. It came in the form of a direct question.

“So, is Shuhua with you?” The brunette chuckled as she answered in the negative. From what she knew of Soojin’s girlfriend, her voice would be heard if she was remotely nearby. Soojin was probably well aware of that though.

So, her name was Shuhua.

Soyeon had wanted to ask for her name the night before, but it hadn’t felt right at the time. However, it was getting weird for Soyeon to keep referring to the girl who ran into her as Yuqi’s roommate and Soojin’s girlfriend in her head. It was strange enough that her close friend was dating Yuqi’s best friend. She wouldn’t want to have to explain how each of them ended up knowing one another. It would be confusing to any outsider.

“You must have met her though, right?” Soojin asked curiously. “When?”

“Yeah, but she doesn’t know who I am yet.” She could hear the unspoken prompt from the other girl even though she wasn't saying anything. Soojin had a way of using silence to speak for herself, which was a real talent, if Soyeon was being honest. She proceeded to recount an abridged version of her Saturday night for her friend.

It was as good as telling her that she was the DJ Jelly that started the whole drama. She didn’t know how close Soojin was to the entire situation, but given that her girlfriend seemed to tell her everything, Soyeon had a vague idea of how much she knew. The thought that Soojin was likely to already have most, if not all, the pieces of the puzzle, didn’t bother her. The only thing that she feared was losing the other girl as a friend.

Despite having only gotten closer to her recently, she had felt a strong connection between them. Soojin was someone she trusted a great deal. There weren’t many people outside of her family that she could trust to that extent. Furthermore, being her cohort mate, the chances of her knowing about her identity was already high. Even if she hadn’t already known about her alias, she wasn’t someone who would misuse the information or treat her differently because of it.

To her credit, Soojin waited until she was done before she did something unexpected. She laughed, louder and more than Soyeon had ever heard from her. The DJ raised her eyebrows. She couldn’t tell if that was a good or bad sign.

Now that she thought about it, Yuqi and her were already interconnected on a number of levels. If she were to create titles for the people in her life based on their relationships, a fair number of them would be linked to Song Yuqi without either of them even trying. The freshman had somehow entered her life and went from someone she wished would leave her alone to someone she couldn’t get rid of even if she wanted to.

Destiny was really playing tricks with her at this point.

“Soojin-ah.” She prompted. “You still there?”

“Yes... I’m here.” Soojin’s voice was airy and she was still trying to catch her breath, but she was there. There was something about the way she answered that was just so Soojin. She probably knew the literal and figurative implications of her answer. She didn’t sound upset either.

Soyeon released the breath that she had been holding. The sheer relief that she hadn’t lost one of her friends made Soyeon feel like smiling in spite of herself.

“So, how long have you known?”

“Known what?”

“About the radio show.” Soojin hummed and considered it for a few seconds. “It became obvious when you talked about your working partner, but I had a feeling when we talked in the library.”

“What? And you didn’t say anything?” Soyeon exclaimed. She would have thought that the realisation would have been during their meetups outside the library.

“All those times...”

“Well... I didn't think it was something that needed to be said. Least of all, by me.” The other girl’s voice was serene, like still water over tremulous undercurrents. She marvelled at how Soojin always seemed to know exactly what to say to her, and she was right. Soojin hadn’t treated her any differently despite knowing her identity.

“But I’m glad that you decided to tell me.”

“Me too.” Becoming friends with Soojin was clearly one of the best decisions she had made in the past few months.

“But back to your story, if it’s our Yuqi that’s been on your mind,” It occurred to Soyeon that this was the first time they were using names, instead of ‘my friend’.

“She wouldn’t leave something unresolved without first trying her utmost best to solve it.” Soyeon agreed with that sentiment. “Yuqi may take some time, but you can figure it out together if that’s what you want.”

“But what if that’s not something that she’s interested in?” She asked. With Soojin, she felt like her insecurities were shown more often than she would like.

There was an audible pause. Soyeon wondered if there was something Soojin wasn't telling her about Yuqi.

“It’s not easy to find someone who’s as dense as Yuqi, but I guess it makes sense now.” Soojin said honestly. The way she phrased her sentence made Soyeon feel like there was an implication directed towards her, but she chose not to comment on it. There were more important things to focus on.

“In the end, her decision is hers to make, as is yours. So, the question is, Soyeonie, what do you want to do about it?”

For the second time that morning, she honestly had no idea.

 

~~~

Apparently, when one didn’t know what to do, the solution was to do nothing. The past hour had been strained, to say the least. Yet, Soyeon couldn’t deny that it had been that way since that weekend. After the first two days, the nerves had set in. She had waited for a message or signal from the other girl. However, it had been a week and Yuqi hadn’t done anything to even remotely suggest that she registered what Soyeon had said. If she were being honest, she almost wished she had stayed and gotten flat out rejected by Yuqi. It would have definitely hurt and things would be awkward until they figured out a way to work together as friends again. However, it would be better than having to pretend like everything was fine. She was clearly not an actress.

On the surface, nothing had changed. DJ Jelly and Song Yuqi were still radio co-hosts who shot their opinions back and forth during the show. Idle Radio had become more popular than ever, and the calls were coming in more frequently. There were even requests for collaborations from seniors hoping to promote their final year projects. However, there was one thing that had changed. Since the weekend, Soyeon had made it a point to avoid any chance for small talk with her co-host. She limited their interactions to during the broadcast.

During breaks, she would go and speak to Miyeon or whoever was outside, and return only when the song was about to end. She arrived at the station with just enough time for her finish her set-up, and she always left immediately after closing up. She even avoided the field, in case Yuqi wanted to look for her during breaks. Her excuse was that she had external appointments and she was preparing for another project, but it was a feeble excuse and she knew it.

Yuqi’s frustration was starting to show. It was foolish to think that the freshman wouldn’t realise that she was being avoided. Yet, her co-host respected her distance and didn’t push her, despite having every opportunity during the show to do so.

It was ironic. Despite all the “bad boy” types that she claimed to be attracted to, she ended up falling for someone who was the exact opposite of that. “Thanks for calling, next.” She slammed the button to end the call and saw Yuqi wince from the corner of her vision. Soyeon bit her lip. Perhaps she had done that with a little too much force. However, in this case, her actions were very much justified. Many of the callers over the past few days had been asking about their relationship, despite how often she’s shown her lack of tolerance for personal questions. When she first started, there were many callers who directed their suggestive or inappropriate comments at her. She had flat out refused many callers who took advantage of the public platform to make remarks, and that caused a stir while lead to them making comments about her uality. However, DJ Jelly had always put managed to an end to them before the caller even finished their sentence.

Yuqi, on the other hand, didn’t seem to get as affected by these types of questions. She played it off as a joke, or mock-flirted with the callers as entertainment instead. It was a wonder that she was able to turn every situation around like that. She had brought up the issue to Miyeon but according to her, the numbers weren’t that much different from normal. In fact, the older girl had even about being more aware of the issue because of recent events. Needless to say, Soyeon had a lot of things to disagree with that suggestion. She felt a tingle on her skin and angled her posture slightly towards the girl next to her. She didn’t have to move much. Just a slight change in her posture would cause a reaction. She sat up straighter and as expected, Yuqi shuffled her papers noisily. There was a squeak of her chair as the other girl seemed to be staring unusually hard at her blank note pad. She would have made a quip if it wasn’t so weird.

The staunch awkwardness, or rather, the “”, nicely described by Miyeon, that settled whenever they were in between calls was getting difficult to manage. They were sitting a few feet from one another, but her mind was itching to get out of her skin whenever Yuqi so much as looked at her. Perhaps the freshman wanted to think she was being discreet, but she really wasn’t. Yuqi couldn’t hide her emotions to save her life. It was a double edged sword, and at the moment, the blade was cutting both of them. Soyeon could feel her gaze flitting over to her every few minutes. It wasn’t hard to notice when every time she shifted in her seat, Yuqi seemed to purposefully angle her eyes in another direction. Perhaps Soyeon was paying the other girl too much attention as well. It was as if her body had become attuned to the other girl’s actions. Yet, with the amount of times that she’s caught the freshman watching her over the past few days, how could she not be?

Yuqi always looked like she had something to say, but Soyeon hadn’t waited long enough for her to say it. It had taken a couple of terse moments and one word replies, but Yuqi seemed to have gotten the message. She gave her space, or rather, as much space as she could. The only time they spoke was when their broadcast was concerned and even so, they kept discussions concise and to the point. It was so robotic and routine that anyone would know something was wrong Miyeon had dragged her out of the studio one day for a talk. The older girl wasn’t very confrontational in nature, but her eyes were ablaze this time. She wanted to shrink into a corner but she knew that being one of her closest friends, Miyeon wouldn’t let her.

She made her point very clear and with no room for interpretation. She told Soyeon point blank to stop avoiding Yuqi because her, in Miyeon’s words, “lovesickness” was affecting everyone else. By everyone else, she meant Minnie, and by association, her. Soyeon had nodded and apologised for her immaturity, but she couldn’t exactly explain the reason for it.

Miyeon wasn’t exactly aware of what had transpired after her first few shots of soju. The senior had called her on the next afternoon, completely oblivious, asking if she had done anything stupid. She couldn’t blame her for being confused at the sudden change of behaviour between the two of them. She wouldn’t be surprised if Miyeon blamed herself and Minnie for it either. She didn't want to hide it from her, as one of her closer friends.

She would explain it to her, after dealing with Yuqi. The atmosphere at the station had changed too, according to Jisoo. She deduced correctly that it was due to Soyeon and Yuqi, and went to speak to the former about it. The older girl hadn’t been as blunt as Miyeon with her words, but she had described it as overly “charged”.

Soyeon had tried asking her to explain the term, and gotten a head pat for her trouble instead. She had half a mind to walk up to Yuqi and tell her that whatever she said had been a joke. It would put everyone out of their misery, except for her, but it was better than seeing Yuqi look like a sad puppy all the time. She decided against it, because as much as she enjoyed joking around, she didn’t want to lie about something like this. She would have to face up to her eventually, anyway. She was just hoping that she would have more time to build up her resistance to the upcoming rejection she was going to face.

“Hello! This question is for Yuqi.” The next call came in, disrupting her errant mind. It was embarrassing but she hadn’t realised that the other person had been speaking. The voice was peppy and bright, not the type that she wanted to hear the moment. Soyeon finally turned to her co-host, who currently resembled a lost deer that accidentally walked into traffic.

It was obvious that Yuqi had probably been caught off guard, since she had been staring at her for the past three minutes. Not that Soyeon was any better though. They were both equally as pathetic.

The DJ motioned to the mic expectantly and it seemed to awaken something within the younger girl. She flailed her arms in a mini panic before remembering where her mic receiver was. Soyeon had to turn away to hide her smile because Yuqi was really too cute. “Uh... okay, I’m here. How can I help you?”

“Are you single?” Soyeon was struggling not to roll her eyes, even though no one else but her and Yuqi would see it.

Of course. Soyeon sighed. She really should have expected this to happen.

Since Soyeon had shown that she wasn’t going to entertain callers asking personal questions, they could just direct their questions to her more accommodating co-host instead. Yuqi was an easy target; not just for her, but for the public. Her transparent nature made her easy and amusing to tease, not that she desired anyone to make fun of her.

“Y-yes?” Yuqi stammered. Her answer had a lilt that made it sound like she was asking a question. The DJ found it funny that she would hesitate on the topic of her own relationship status. There was no one else but herself that could confirm her relationship status. Soyeon noticed the nervous gaze directed at her, which she didn’t respond to. She was absolutely not going to jump in. Firstly, it wasn’t her question to answer. She shouldn’t and wouldn’t do anything. Secondly, it wasn’t any of her business.

She turned to her phone screen, both as a signal to Yuqi and a reminder to herself that she shouldn’t be so invested in the answer. She had recently fulfilled her quota of embarrassment for a month at least. Whatever Yuqi’s answer was, it should not affect her in the slightest.

The person on the other end of the call hummed satisfactorily, as if Yuqi had given her the answer she was hoping for. Soyeon didn’t consider herself hot headed, but she could feel her irritation level rising at the caller’s response. She didn’t like her attitude. “

You mentioned previously that you haven’t dated, so what do you look for in a potential partner?”

“Uh.......” Yuqi was hesitating. Soyeon didn’t like this question, or the caller, at all. Jeon Soyeon would either attempt to diffuse the situation or distract the caller. DJ Jelly would let Yuqi figure it out herself. It didn’t take much deliberation for Soyeon to decide to follow her radio personality. After all, Yuqi was mostly here for her media and communications class. This was part of her training and experience.

The older girl snuck a peek at her co-host. Yuqi was apprehensive; she was staring at her mic and biting the side of her lip, deep in thought. She was probably trying to figure out how to answer the question without being too personal, but also without lying. It was sweet to see how much effort she put into making every conversation as genuine as she could, despite not knowing the caller personally.

If Soyeon did that, her show would probably be cancelled again. It was different for Yuqi. She had already accepted that the younger girl would always have the advantage of being able to win people over. There was just something about the freshman that made people feel comfortable. It wasn’t surprising that Yuqi’s popularity on the forum had helped to increase their ratings significantly. Miyeon had been delighted, to say the least. She was probably already planning to formally ask Yuqi to takeover part of the station once the seniors graduated.

Something shifted in Yuqi’s eyes and she cleared before she spoke.

“Someone... warm and bright...? Maybe a little fiery, but also mellow.” For a moment, Yuqi looked like she was about to say more, but was holding herself back from doing so. She sat back in her seat with a self-satisfied smile while Soyeon felt her confusion grow.

She was definitely missing something.

When she first heard her answer, it sounded like Yuqi was trying to make her description as neutral and as safe as possible. She could understand that. However, no matter how many ways she tried to see it, that description did not sound like a person at all. There was something off about the way she spoke about it. Yet, for some reason, her co-host looked almost resolute about her description. It was a stark contrast to the way their previous conversation about love and dating had gone. Although, it made her wonder if Yuqi had met and fallen for someone in the time that had elapsed since then.

“You sound like you’re describing a colour.” Soyeon commented idly.

She didn't mean it to be an insult or criticism, despite how it sounded. The closest thing that came to mind when she mulled over Yuqi’s words was red, yellow and orange. They were warm and bright colours and easily moulded to be either fiery or mellow. She didn't know why she was trying to dissect something so trivial.

Yuqi’s love life didn't affect her. The freshman’s eyes flashed with surprise when she turned towards her. She sat up straight for a second, before leaning back against the seat again. Her guard was up. Soyeon couldn’t blame her for it, especially after the past few days of cold treatment.

Hence, she had probably assumed that Soyeon wasn’t listening to her answer. She didn't think of herself as a good actress but apparently she managed to convince Yuqi of that. The DJ put her phone aside to prove her wrong. Besides, the call had just gotten more interesting. The DJ watched curiously as a series of emotions flickered across Yuqi’s face.

There was embarrassment, naturally. Her cheeks turning a light shade of pink was a glaring indication of that. Anything was better than the gloomy looks she had been sporting when she thought Soyeon wasn’t watching her. The longer she knew Yuqi, the more Soyeon was beginning to realise that the younger girl always spoke and acted with her heart and emotions. Everything she did, she did with passion and relentless perseverance. At first, she had considered it rather annoying, especially when the overzealous attitude was used against her.

However, perhaps it was because Yuqi’s energy reminded her of herself a few years ago, but overtime, her emotional transparency had become an endearing trait. In any case, Yuqi probably wasn’t thinking logically when she described her ideal partner. Based on her description, Soyeon wouldn’t be surprised if Yuqi didn’t even have a person in mind. She didn’t know who Yuqi would eventually end up with, but her ideal partner sounded like a very conflicted person. She just hoped whoever the lucky person was, that the two of them would be able to balance one another out.

Soyeon thought about it. It wasn't for her to judge who Yuqi wanted to be with. They weren’t close, and she didn't know if they would ever be close again. However, Yuqi’s happiness would always be forefront for her. She didn’t have to be dating Yuqi to feel that way.

The second look on Yuqi’s face was guilt. It clouded her eyes and darkened her gaze. She turned to the side, avoiding the third year’s direction. It was a change, since Yuqi had been trying to catch Soyeon’s eyes for the past few days. Now that she was paying attention, Yuqi didn’t seem to know what to do anymore.

The guilt felt unnecessary to Soyeon. They’d been working together for some time, and the freshman had always worked hard and picked up the skills required of her quickly. Even when she made mistakes, she was humble and willing to learn. Hence, seeing that emotion on her face was somewhat baffling.

As far as she knew, Yuqi had not done anything to warrant feeling guilty for. If anything, Soyeon was the one who should be feeling guilty for her actions over the past few days. Being in prolonged close proximity with her during their broadcasts had made her realise that it was impossible to sustain this. She had to talk to her about what happened, even if it went badly.

There was a shift in the undercurrent and Soyeon finally identified the last expression. Doubt. Whether it was doubt in relation to Soyeon, herself, or the situation, was unclear. Despite the expectant look Yuqi was giving her, her eyes were rife with uncertainty.

“Well, it’s not something I think a lot about. I don’t really have a list of things to look for.” There was a little bit of defensiveness in her tone, which reminded the DJ that she was dealing with Yuqi, someone she wanted to protect, and not some random stranger on the phone. Yuqi’s hurt expression flashed in her mind again, and she felt a pang in her chest.

The steady light over the monitor reminded her that they were still on-air. She couldn't let the conversation get out of hand. So, she tried to redirect her attention with her next question.
“Then, what do you think about?”

“Chemistry? Being able to speak comfortably with them? How that person makes me feel, I guess.” Yuqi scooted her chair forward, even though her body was almost trapped in between the table and the chair. Soyeon nodded.

That was an answer that she expected. It made things easier for her to direct a playful comment at her. “Oh, so you already have someone in mind?”

Yuqi hummed. “You seem unusually persistent with this topic, DJ Jelly.” The way she let the words hang in the air was evil. The younger girl was challenging her.

Soyeon smiled, despite the butterflies taking flight in her stomach. At least Yuqi looked a bit more relaxed. She was smiling, which was a good sign. That was a signal that they were moving towards more familiar territory. Bantering with Yuqi had become almost second nature to her. “I’m just doing my duty and asking on behalf of the general public.”

From the way Yuqi’s gaze turned mischievous, she knew that the other girl had gotten the reference. It felt like they were coming full circle, right back to the first time they met.

The brunette leaned her chin against the heel of her hand and faced her in a way that could only be described as flirtatious. “Oh really? Are you going to submit an application on their behalf as well?” Before Soyeon could respond with a witty comeback, there was a sudden exclamation that made both of them jump in their seats.

“Oh my GOD!”

Right. The caller. She had forgotten about that. Again.

They might have taken things too far for the general public. For people who had been co-hosting a radio show together for a while, this mistake had happened one too many times, Soyeon thought. Her reputation as a radio DJ would certainly be taking a hit after this. She shook her head.

The game had been fun while it lasted, she supposed. It seemed like they were fated to always get interrupted anyway. She was fortunate that Yuqi hadn’t left her hanging or worse, flared up on-air. She was thankful that she could trust in Yuqi to be a professional colleague, and a good friend, at the least. She could still feel her heart palpitating in her chest as she reached for the button.

However, the freshman surprised her once more by leaping for the red button on her side of the table. By doing so, Yuqi ended up with half her body stretched over the table in front of her. Soyeon jerked her chair back slightly to give her room to manoeuvre. She may or may not have let out an inaudible squeak at the sudden proximity of their bodies.

“Thank you for calling Idle Radio, have a good day!” Yuqi yelled out into the receiver as she cut the line abruptly. She seemed to be even more enthusiastic about ending the call.

Soyeon wanted to laugh. It seemed that their roles had really undertaken a reversal as of late. She had definitely underestimated Yuqi’s ability to be a radio host. The DJ sneaked another glance at her while the other girl awkwardly shifted back to her seat. Yuqi’s cheeks were red, and probably not just from the interruption. It seemed like she was just as embarrassed at having unintentionally said something like that on-air.

That could only mean one thing:- Yuqi’s answers hadn’t been meant as jokingly as they appeared to be. Her brain went into a flatline for a minute as she tried to decipher what that meant, and more importantly, what to do with that information.

She hadn’t really considered the possibility that Yuqi would flirt with her and mean it. That nagging feeling at the back of her mind was back. She had been steadily shifting it away over the past few days, but it was back in full force, demanding her attention. Perhaps, this was what Soojin had meant during their phone call. She wished that the blonde was with her at that moment, to fling some sense at her or give her advice.

“You okay, unnie?”

Was she okay? No. She was talking about dating, with someone that she wanted to date. There was no way that she would be “okay”.

It dawned on her that this was the first time they were talking since the previous weekend. Sure, they had done the broadcasts together, but it wasn’t the same. Yuqi stopped directing questions at her and trying to talk. She had been leaving everything that their interactions consisted of, up to Soyeon to decide. In terms of frequency, intensity and topic, at least. Hence, she made another decision.

“You didn’t answer my question.” Yuqi’s gaze flitted to the side before she met her eyes again. Now that there was no reason for them to act or banter for an audience, Yuqi easily diverted the question.

“Neither did you, if you want to put it that way.”

Soyeon opened to argue, but closed it again. There wasn't much point in arguing.

“Never-mind, forget I said anything.” She turned away from the other girl, effectively ending their conversation. By doing so, she missed the disappointed frown that appeared on Yuqi’s face. Instead, she kept her eyes on the playlist and cleared . Pressing the button for her mic, she declared for a song break. Shaking her head, Soyeon glanced at the song list and keyed in the code to go to the next song. It was one of the older songs by Red Velvet and it was a classic.

She had to make special effort to stop her hands from shaking as she typed. She didn’t like how nervous she was feeling, and Yuqi was clearly avoiding the topic. She was in the midst of queuing the song when she heard Yuqi’s voice cutting through the space between them.

“The answer is ‘yes’, by the way.”

Yes?

Soyeon‘s mind frantically raced back to their conversation to search for the question that Yuqi was answering. So, Yuqi already had someone she liked.

She hadn’t actually expected her to admit to that out loud. However, it did explain her reluctance to respond to Soyeon, and her guilt. Maybe this was Yuqi’s way of telling her that she already had someone else in her heart, and she was trying to let her down as gently as possible. Soyeon’s fear had been correct, and she had never felt so disappointed to be proven right.

“And...” Soyeon tilted her head. The freshman was looking at her expectantly again. She didn’t know what kind of response Yuqi wanted from her. Truthfully, she hadn’t realised that Yuqi wasn’t done speaking yet. Her voice had been lowered to such a low decibel that she wasn’t even sure if she was actually hearing her accurately. “and if your answer is ‘yes’ too, then...”

She didn’t understand how her answer would be linked to Yuqi’s. It didn’t line up with her theory. Soyeon was trying very hard not to show how affected she was. When Yuqi trailed off at the end of her sentence, she couldn’t stand the suspense anymore.

“Then?” She blurted out.

Yuqi was watching her with rapt attention, but her eyes softened. Soyeon smiled, silently bracing herself for the inevitable. It was embarrassing to be doing this in the studio, but in a way, it was also poetic justice. She had basically put herself in this position. Their relationship had formally started in this same radio booth. It was only fitting that if her heart was going to get broken, it would be here too.

“Then... I’ll only need one application, from you.”

Soyeon was at a loss for words. The end of her sentence had been just loud enough to reach her ears, but it seemed to be a part of her imagination. She blinked, trying to wrap her head around the entire situation.

“Aish... stop kidding around.” She chided, partly disinterested.

Turning away from Yuqi’s stare, Soyeon pushed an errant strand of hair away from her face. The way Yuqi looked at her made her nervous. It felt as though she could read her like an open book, even if Yuqi’s own emotions were displayed on her sleeve. It made Soyeon feel more self-conscious. It was unfair of Yuqi to do that to someone if she just wanted to play with their feelings like that.

“I’m not.” The certainty in the way she uttered the words surprised Soyeon into looking up. Yuqi had moved her chair closer to her without Soyeon realising it. Unlike before, there was not a hint of doubt in her eyes. She was completely serious, which, to some extent, felt a bit out of character for someone like her.

Yuqi shifted again, testing the waters, before relaxing when she realised the DJ wasn’t going to run away. Her seriousness seemed to melt into a softer and more familiar expression. Soyeon recalled seeing this look multiple times when they were sitting side by side, either at the field or at the studio when it was just the two of them. It was one of the looks that made her feel warm, calm, and most of all, accepted. It made her feel like there was a possibility of something more happening between them. Yuqi was like a wave that continuously overwhelmed her ability to think logically.

“Yellow is one of my favourite colours. Do you know why?” That was a weird question to ask her. Unless she could read her mind, Soyeon couldn’t possibly know the answer to that.

“No?” She was aware that her answer came out more similar to a question. If she sounded just a bit annoyed, she blamed it completely on Yuqi. However, the other girl simply continued speaking as if everything was going according to plan.

“Sometimes it’s overly bright. It can be loud, aggressive, and vibrant to a point where it hurts. Yet, it can also be warm, comfortable and nurturing. Without it, sunlight wouldn’t exist, and my world would be cold and dark.”

Yuqi used a singular possessive pronoun instead of a general term. Soyeon surely wouldn’t have missed that. She sensed that the girl wasn’t just talking about a colour anymore. This description sounded more human than anything else she had described previously. This was probably her real answer to the caller’s question, which Soyeon was glad Yuqi hadn’t said while they were speaking on-air. There was a half-smile forming on the edge of Yuqi’s lips as the younger girl inched closer to her. It was irritating, seeing how she smug she looked.

Soyeon had the urge to lean forward, catch her by surprise, and wipe the smirk off her face. Instead, she locked gazes with Yuqi, daring her to come closer. Her co-host held her stare without flinching, until she got close enough to pull lightly at her shirt and dart back once Soyeon looked down. The DJ glanced to her shirt in confusion. Before she could respond, Yuqi was already scooting her chair back into her own space. The half-smile on her face had bloomed into a genuine and radiant grin.

Soyeon looked down at her yellow shirt for another long moment before the all the pieces clicked into place.

Oh. This girl couldn’t actually be serious.

She couldn’t say the words “I like you” but she could create an elaborate speech about how a colour made her feel and slip in a confession just like that.

She felt like her jaw would have hit the ground any second if it wasn't attached to her face. Soyeon didn’t know whether she should be exasperated or impressed. Part of her felt like both emotions would be accurate at this point.

Another second passed before she realised that Yuqi was still waiting for her answer. The confident mask that she had been wearing was gone now. This Yuqi reminded her of when she first saw the freshman standing in front of her desk, and when she appeared in front of her at the field. For the first time that week, Soyeon felt at ease.

“Well then, I’d better schedule an interview as soon as possible.” Even if the power was turned off, she was certain that Yuqi’s smile was so bright that it would be visible in the dark. She was about to make another comment when the door to the studio slammed open. Both girls were startled for the second time in an hour. Miyeon had impeccable timing, as usual.

“Did you guys really have to do this with your mics on? Seriously...” The senior was absolutely furious. Her face was red and she looked ready to kick both of them off the radio show and make them stand in a corner and reflect on their mistakes. Yuqi’s panic was clear on her face. Yet, Soyeon didn’t feel afraid. She had just gone through one of the most nerve wrecking conversations and survived.

“You,” The senior pointed to the freshman. “have a horrible sense of timing.”

Yuqi was just new enough for Miyeon’s outburst to guilt her into apologising. Meanwhile, Soyeon simply blinked innocently at her friend, well aware of what was coming.

“And you,” She levelled her glare at Soyeon, who didn’t flinch under her stare. “should have known better.”

She knew Miyeon. Miyeon knew her. There wasn’t much for her senior to say. Plus, the DJ knew for a fact that Miyeon wasn’t that upset. If anything, this was just Miyeon doing damage control. The real lecture would come after the official end of the show; she could already foresee it happening. It would be a miracle if Miyeon didn’t use this as an excuse to get Minnie to become a regular at the station and help her manage the phone calls.

The older girl placed herself in between her and Yuqi and made a show of flicking off the switch that had been lighted up the entire time.

“Our lines are overloaded. I’m ordering you both to take a 30 minutes song break or you can filter the calls yourselves.” She commanded. Soyeon wanted to answer back with a “yes sir” but she might actually get in trouble for that this time. She had already used up her luck. She wasn’t going to take her chances.

“Oh,” Miyeon’s body was halfway out the door, but she turned around and flashed a deliberate smirk at them. Soyeon felt a sense of pride in knowing her friend well enough what she was going to do. “and congratulations, by the way.”

Soyeon graciously waited for the older girl to leave before she burst into a fit of laughter. Yuqi spun towards her, the worried frown on her face fading away the more she laughed.

The chorus of ‘Somethin Kinda Crazy’ had just started, and there were roughly nine more songs that she was obliged to play before their segment was allowed to continue. She didn't know what exactly Miyeon was intending to accomplish with this forcefully induced break, but she wasn't complaining. Yuqi and her still had a lot to discuss regarding their circumstances. Thoughts of the future, past, and present were a shadow that clouded her mind.

The other girl’s head come to rest against her shoulder. She felt a hand brush against her own and laced their fingers together as casually as she could manage. The worries from earlier seemed to have faded somewhat, or perhaps it had been replaced by the warmth radiating from the girl beside her. Perhaps yellow would be her favourite colour too.

She wanted to say something, but decided that it could wait. For now, she was content with having Yuqi coexist in her space and in her heart. It wouldn't be easy, knowing the both of them. However, they had more than enough time ahead of them to figure things out together, and she was sure that they would.

This whole thing was just the beginning and she was fine with that.