[11:08 a.m] Seungwan sets a tray of assorted snacks down on the small table underneath the stairs. Sooyoung thanks her and asks her to stay for a while.

. . . . .

“These are Seul’s favs, so I’ve started you off with them,” the caramel-haired junior circles the air around a neatly arranged plate of pan-fried pork gyoza and sweet potato fries. “And your drinks.” She places a tall glass with black tapioca pearls floating in creamy brown milk tea and another of peach green tea with cubed lychee jelly and a sprig of mint on the top. 

“Uh, yeah thanks Seungwan,” Sooyoung stutters, “you, uh– you don’t think I’ll be too intimidating, do you?”

Seungwan looks at a vibrating knee and furiously twiddling thumbs. Uh, no. Definitely not. “You’ll be fine.”

Sooyoung is obviously super nervous for her first real date. She can tell by the whole forty-five minutes early she is and the fact that she’d rather have her here, verbally babysitting her instead of scrolling through her feed.

It’s so... cute.

“Aigoo, careful, Seulgi’s gonna think she’s on a date with a bigger teddy bear than herself,” the barista playfully nudges the taller’s shoulder to which she’s met with a ‘you’re-so-lucky-we’re-friends-now’ look in return. “I’m really happy you guys get along so well.”

She means it. Getting remotely close to anyone from the black velvet trio, let alone dating, seemed completely out of prospects a couple months ago, but here they are. And she’s very happy that they’re all friends.

Well, most of them are just friends.

For now.

“Anyway,” Seungwan cuts herself short when she realises this is just the beginning of her shift. “Seulgi’s great, you’re gonna be great, you two are gonna be great. Alright, I’m off. Just relax, okay? You got this.” 

Sooyoung clasps their hands together, eyes flashing with gratitude and severity. “I owe you big time. Tell me if your manager gives you about cooking off-menu dishes today. I will hunt him down and ruin him.”

The junior bows. “Oh, and remember the dancing!” She whisper-yells on her way back, flipping an anxious Sooyoung a secret thumbs up and miming some random dance moves before disappearing past the counter.

 . . . . .

Sooyoung wonders what Seulgi is thinking as she munches on her food.

How did all those after study bobas turn into an actual date?

It’s an unbelievable of luck that Seulgi even said yes to one, she thinks. Sooyoung doesn’t want anything for herself; she’d be perfectly happy just to occupy a small corner of Seulgi’s thoughts. Because this girl really is something else; overflowing galaxies in those diamond-twinkled irises and a smile brighter than any star in the Milky Way. 

Delicate, capable and strong. Everything about Kang Seulgi feels too much like a hallucination.

“No Tears Left To Cry has such a challenging rhythm, yeah. That’s why I chose it!” Seulgi’s buttery voice snaps her out of her daze, and reality slowly simmers back in. 

“Hm? Oh, sorry, yeah, you’re an amazing dancer.” Sooyoung offers her honest thoughts, suggesting that she create a TikTok to showcase clips of her talent and even a separate account for her art. “It’ll be great for everyone.”

“Great for everyone or great for you?” Seulgi chuckles shyly as she digs her fork through the layers of their shared vanilla-matcha pancake stack. “You give me too much credit, Young. Dancing is just a side hobby.”

“I guess,” Sooyoung pulls her black opal Valentino purse into her lap and rummages around. “I guess you’re right. It’s fine, I actually already have a favourite dancer I follow. Sorry to spring this on you now, did you want to see her?”

Seulgi’s eyes light up and she leans over, genuinely excited to see this ‘better dancer’. Sooyoung almost crumbles at the sight and she internally begs the heavens. Oh god, she’s so pure. Forgive me for doing this.

Instead of a TikToker, the art major finds herself blinking at her own reflection staring back at her, just as stunned. Sooyoung is cheekily holding up the mirror of her compact foundation in her face. “Isn’t she cool?” 

Bashful laughter erupts from both girls as Seulgi tries to find somewhere to hide her cherry-red face while Sooyoung follows it with her mirror.

. . . . .

[11:09 p.m] The light from her laptop stings her eyes in the dark. Still, Joohyun presses her stuffed Totoro plushie to her cheek, heart silently racing at the rom com playing on the screen.

. . . . . 

Jennie forgets to knock, hands occupied by the plate of homemade cookies and a glass of milk. She almost flings the glass in the air at the piercing scream that rattles her eardrums when she shoulders the door to Joohyun’s room. 

“Yah! Can’t you knock first?!” There’s a frantic blur of blankets and limbs as the raven-haired girl struggles to find the spacebar.

Jennie remains unbothered, setting the plate and drink down on the bedside table. She tells her friends to scoot over and gets in after. It’s kind of cramped for three girls on a single bed, but no one cares. They’re dressed in fluffy pajamas and headbands to keep their hair out of the way as they settle down to continue the next episode of Crash Landing On You.

“Did I miss anything?” Jennie half whispers, offering the plate to Joohyun before balancing it in her lap.

“Nothing yet.” Sooyoung replies, glued to her phone.

Joohyun flaps the air around that comment. “And how would you even know? Seriously, can you get off Seulgi’s TikTok for two seconds? Or at least scroll like a normal person? I swear I’ve seen that Ariana cover like twenty thousand times, doesn’t she have other videos?”

“No? Let her work at her own pace.” The tallest clutches her phone to her chest offendedly. “And? You’re welcome, that cover is– hey! Give that back! Hey, I’m trying to support small artists okay!” She claws for the device as it’s skilfully plucked out of her unsuspecting grip and placed far, far away.

Jennie reaches over and offers her a consolation cookie. “You’ll get it back after this.”

. . . . .

The ground is peppered in snow, and Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin are standing under a street lamp, unmoving and unsure.

“Ugh so close, just do it already.” Sooyoung grumbles. 

Joohyun’s brows furrow playfully and she thwacks the giggling girl on the arm with her elbow. “Yah, you’re filthy, he’s still in the hospital, how would they even–”

The other girl just looks plain shocked. “I meant kiss.”

Noticing that it’d pretty much take a nuclear war to tear Joohyun from the unfolding on-screen romance, Jennie suddenly pauses the episode. Almost instantly, her friend protests, fists in the air and crumbs littered around . “Oh my god, they were finally gonna do it!” She’s like a completely different version of herself.

A version that so far, only Jennie and Sooyoung have witnessed.

“Hang on, does Seungwan know about this?” Jennie asks.

Joohyun grunts questioningly while the brunette points a finger at her and the laptop. “You. And this.”

She frowns. “What? That you make us watch your stupid, cringy TV shows?” 

Remembering Seungwan’s sentiment this afternoon, Sooyoung side-eyes her roommate and snickers.

“Hyun-ah, careful. Your true colours are showing.”

“What do you mean?” 

“Aish, please,” Jennie interrupts, teasing, “Miss I’m-From-The-Mafia-So-Watch-Out. You pretend love is a burden and dating is a death sentence but we know you dream of the cheesiest romance. Meeting ‘The One’ in a sugary little arcade cafe, huh, huh?”

“Jen-ah, you’d better stop spouting nonsense.”

Jennie just sits back, smiling in complacent victory while Sooyoung stuffs a handful of a crumbling cookie into . “It’s okay Hyun, you already have our approval. Seungwan is… not the worst person you could’ve chosen.” She and Jennie briefly shrug at each other.

Joohyun sits up like she’s been electrocuted. A pillow is grabbed and Sooyoung is the first to get pummelled. It takes a minute of her friends rolling about giggling like schoolgirls for her to realise it was all a set-up. She lets out an exasperated sigh, and the other two would’ve believed it if her eyes hadn’t been lit up this whole time by the mention of a certain someone.

“Don’t listen to her,” Jennie comforts after they’ve settled back down to resume the show. “We like your little crush. She’s so much sweeter than you-know-who. It’s no competition, honestly.”

Joohyun shrugs nonchalantly, clearly trying to regain her composure after throwing a literal tantrum. “Why would anyone go for someone who’s probably not even aware of the hearts she breaks? Stop romanticising typical, cute, playgirl baristas.”

“Hyun! How could you roast your junior like that?” Sooyoung shakes her head.

“She’s my junior– I have every right to roast her.”

. . . . .

As Hyun Bin kisses Ye-jin’s tears away, Jennie and Sooyoung proclaim in excitement. Gossip ensues about possible spoilers and theories while Joohyun sits with stars in her dreamy eyes, too enthralled to contribute.

She drowns the show and the conversation out and slips into her own soap bubble.

Son Seungwan.

. . . . .

Cupid must have a warrant out for her downfall or something.

. . . . .