step eight: The New Proposals

 

Perhaps the reason why in High School everyone was so critical of every little thing that people did was because of the mundaneness of the High School routine. When you think about it, High School life is just the same thing over and over again. Lunch and breaks were scheduled at the exact same time and class finished and ended at the exact same time. There was only so much to do in the constraints of a bell lead daily program. 

 

If anyone were to break out of the ordinary, people gobbled it up. It was more exciting than all the plain things that everyone did, anyways. It all just gets boring after a while. 

 

To Wonyoung and Yujin, these past few weeks they had fallen into their own mundane routine of carefully planned moments of affection in the hallway. At first, because it was so different and exciting, the whole school seemed to eat up their presence everytime they graced the halls. Even when they weren’t there, the whole school seemed interested to talk about them. 

 

Lately, the hold they had on the school was dying because everybody was used to Wonyoung and Yujin’s routine. Yujin would show up to Wonyoung’s locker, sometimes with a can of coke sometimes without. They’d talk for a little bit, though it was mostly just Wonyoung saying things and Yujin nodding along. And then they would go their separate ways to go to class. Lunchtime was even less of an interaction because Wonyoung would be sitting with her friends and Yujin with hers. 

 

After school was always the same, where Wonyoung would come to Yujin’s family’s mart every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and make it seem as if they were hanging out more. 

 

But, something was different, this time. 

 

To the rest of the school, nothing had changed between Yujin and Wonyoung. Same old routines. They saw the same snapshots of the time that they spent together. 

 

The only difference was Wonyoung and Yujin themselves. 

 

Sometimes it was the smiles that were different. Smiles that seemed to reach their eyes. A natural and comfortable smile you usually have around your friends. Sometimes it was the times they would linger just a few seconds longer when saying goodbye. Sometimes it was the way Wonyoung would stay just that little bit longer at the mart with Yena and Yujin to hear about some new story Yena wanted to rant about. 

 

Or perhaps, it was the way that everything Wonyoung and Yujin did was teetering over the edge of something that was not necessarily part of their agreement. Their new agreement. 

 

………………………………….

 

“I knew you were rich, but I’m sorry, the fact that you have a personal driver is really funny to me, for some reason.” 

 

It was Saturday, almost a week after the festival and Yujin and Wonyoung were half awake in a long line for a bakery. 

 

Wonyoung had shown up at Yujin’s house at 7am, dolled up but about to doze off in the back of an expensive looking Mercedes Benz that seemed to sparkle in the rising sunlight. Also, it was driven by an older man in a suit who referred to Wonyoung as ‘Miss Jang’. 

 

“I love Michael.” Wonyoung yawned. “He knows a lot but chooses not to say anything.” 

 

“So, he’s like you?” 

 

Wonyoung’s eyes drooped a little bit when she let out a tired smile. “You’ve noticed.” 

 

Yujin just chuckled. She seemed to notice a lot of things about Wonyoung lately. 

 

Like the way she was just barely holding herself up in the line. Poor girl looked so tired. Apparently, she had stayed up late working on an assignment that wasn’t due until Monday. Something about not liking doing assignments during the weekend. Weekends were for resting, according to Wonyoung. 

 

“What time does this thing open?” Yujin said, looking around at the lengthening line. It was getting pretty long but thankfully Wonyoung and Yujin were pretty much near the front. 

 

Yujin turned to her side when Wonyoung didn’t reply. Her heart melted at the sight of Wonyoung’s drooping eyes staring at a random spot on the ground in front of her. She noticed Wonyoung swaying ever so slightly. 

 

And then, Wonyoung swayed a little too far towards Yujin. The impact of Wonyoung wasn’t too hard, really. It was more like a soft lean. Like gravity was pulling Wonyoung towards Yujin and Wonyoung just let it happen. 

 

Yujin stood up straighter and made herself firmer for Wonyoung to lean on. 

 

For such a tall person with a strong, intimidating presence, Wonyoung felt delicate against Yujin’s side. Perhaps it was to do with the fact that it was just her shoulder pressed softly against hers. Or it was Wonyoung’s soft Cashmere sweater. 

 

Or perhaps, it was to do with the fact that just the mere presence of Wonyoung seemed to make Yujin feel lighter.

 

Whatever it was, sleepy Wonyoung was really cute. 

 

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the line getting longer. While Wonyoung was softly leaning up against her she looked around the line. There were mostly young people there, teenagers around Wonyoung and Yujin’s age and college students who had come in pairs of two or three. 

 

Then, Yujin had eye contact with a familiar looking guy who seemed like he was with what Yujin assumed was his little sister as their resemblance was uncanny. 

 

She instantly looked away, nudging subtly at Wonyoung. 

 

“Jacob is here.” Yujin said. “Quick! Tell me what to do.” 

 

Wonyoung’s response was not quite what Yujin was expecting.

 

“Just do whatever.” Wonyoung murmured out uninterestedly. 

 

Yujin felt like she wanted to clean her ears to make sure she heard Wonyoung properly. Maybe rewind time just to double check that she had her right. 

 

“What?” Yujin said. “Did I hear you properly?” 

 

“I said just do whatever.” Wonyoung repeated in the same tone. “Is that so shocking?” 

 

“Well, yeah.” Yujin said. “I mean, you’re usually the one who calls the shots, you know. You tell me what to do and I follow through to the best of my abilities.” 

 

Wonyoung let out a yawn. “Do you always want me telling you what to do?” 

 

“No, of course not.” Yujin said. Then she scratched her head sheepishly. “But, also like… yes please. Sometimes. Most of the time. Not all of the time.” 

 

“Well, then.” Wonyoung said. “I’m telling you to choose whatever.” 

 

Yujin looked at Wonyoung. Then she looked at her hands. 

 

What should she do? 

 

She took a deep breath and s an arm around Wonyoung’s waist, pulling her closer. 

 

Wonyoung let out a sleepy smile at that. 

 

“See, it’s not so bad.” Wonyoung said when she felt Yujin starting to relax. “You should choose more often. You’re less awkward that way.” 

 

“No, what if I do something that gets you mad again?” Yujin deadpanned. “It’s been awhile since you’ve yelled at me, I don’t want to break that streak.” 

 

“I’m a changed person.” Wonyoung huffed. “I said I was sorry about that.” 

 

“Sure.” Yujin chucked. “Says the girl who got mad yesterday because her friend started using hand lotion that she didn’t like the smell of.”

 

“I’m allergic to pineapples, okay?”

 

“It’s hand cream.” Yujin said. “I doubt there’s actual pineapple in there.” 

 

“Whatever.” Wonyoung grumbled. “My point is, I’m making an effort to be more patient with you. So, shut up!”

 

Yujin chuckled to herself. Impatient Wonyoung was cute. 

 

“So, I can do whatever I want, then?” Yujin teased, her brain trying to think of ways to push Wonyoung’s buttons. 

 

“Sure.” Wonyoung yawned. “Do whatever, I don’t care. I’m adaptable to anything.” 

 

Yujin watched as Wonyoung let out a shiver when a gust of wind blew at the two of them. 

 

“Oh, yeah?” Yujin absentmindedly placed her puffer jacket around the half asleep Wonyoung with a chuckle. “Tell me, if I kissed you right now what would you do?” 

 

Yujin marvelled in victory when she saw the way Wonyoung went silent. Well, to be fair, Wonyoung had been fairly quiet because she was so tired. But, Yujin knew she had succeeded in shocking Wonyoung. 

 

However, the victory didn’t last long. 

 

“Do it, coward.”
 

Wonyoung didn’t even budge from her position. She still remained softly pressed against Yujin’s shoulder, head drooped and her eyes shut closed. 

 

The morning breeze passed through Yujin’s now frozen body. 

 

“What?” 

 

Again, Wonyoung remained unmoved, speaking out the words as if she was stating a simple fact like telling the time. 

 

“Kiss me.” 

 

Yujin couldn’t quite pinpoint her tone of voice. Was it commanding? No, it was too soft for that. Was it caution? No, Wonyoung didn’t sound unsure enough. It wasn’t playfulness either, Wonyoung didn’t sound like she was joking. 

 

It was just… normal. Not a question or a command. Just a normal statement. Yujin had no clue how Wonyoung was able to utter such a thing as if it was the most ordinary thing to say. 

 

“I-” Yujin took a glance around at the people around her- at Jacob- and gulped nervously. 

 

Jacob’s little sister was talking to him about something but the boy didn’t seem to be listening at all. Not that his little sister seemed to care. She just kept talking despite his annoyed appearance. Yujin noticed, however, that he seemed to be watching her and Wonyoung from his peripheral vision. 

 

“Okay.” Yujin said. “If you want me to.” 

 

It was miniscule and Yujin barely noticed it, but Wonyoung stiffened the tiniest bit. 

 

“You’ll have to like, um... look at me. You know so I can… um… d-do the thingy.” Yujin said, her hands shaking.
 

Wonyoung turned fully towards Yujin. Their gazes met and Wonyoung’s eyes were now open and alert. Though, she was looking at Yujin with a look she couldn’t quite recognise. 

 

If this was a few weeks ago, Yujin would have classified it as boredom. But, Yujin knew Wonyoung enough to know that this was just her neutral face. She also now knew Wonyoung enough to know that Wonyoung wasn’t the type to show her emotions through her face. Her face seemed to be devoid of any deeper feelings she was having, unlike Yujin who always wore her heart on her sleeve. Which was okay, because Yujin quickly learnt that Wonyoung was the type to show her feelings through actions. Sometimes very loud actions, loud yelling, but at least she was honest about them. 

 

Yujin’s eyes left Wonyoung’s, trailing down to land on her lips. She knew that she was visibly nervous and that Wonyoung could see it. 

 

Then she leaned in, her heart beating erratically. Wonyoung didn’t move, only standing there waiting for Yujin to close the gap. 

 

She was centimetres away and she saw Wonyoung’s lips part, her warm breath a nice contrast for her frozen nose. 

 

Yujin closed her eyes. The only thought running through her head was how absolutely terrified she felt. 

 

And then it happened. 

 

A hand pressed up between her chest and shoulders, around the area of her collarbones and pushed her away with a strong force. 

 

Yujin’s eyes opened quickly, her legs moving instinctively to balance herself. She didn’t know why, but she thought that it was Jacob that had pushed her away and she was ready to start arguing. Which shocked her, because Yujin? Wanting to argue with someone? 

 

Though her fighting instinct instantly went away because she only had to take one look at Wonyoung’s outstretched hand to know that it was her that pushed her away. 

 

Before Yujin could sputter out a word, Wonyoung giggled, a sparkle in her crinkling eyes. 

 

“That.” Wonyoung said with a playful smirk. “I would do that if you tried to kiss me.” 

 

Yujin didn’t know what to say. Which was okay because she was interrupted by a worker poking their head outside the bakery. “Next?” 

 

Wonyoung’s smirk was instantly replaced with childlike glee. 

 

“Yay! Come on, Yujinnie!” 

 

Yujin, who was still trying to recover from before, felt like she was hit with another blow to her chest because of Wonyoung’s sudden change in demeanor. Who knew Wonyoung could be so… cute? 

 

And Yujinnie? Where did THAT come from?  

 

(Yena. It came from Yena.) 

 

As Wonyoung dragged her around the bakery, pointing at various macarons and cakes that looked way too much for just two people to eat, Yujin kept replaying the almost kiss in her mind. 

 

She was terrified of the thought of kissing Wonyoung.

 

Why? 

 

She was terrified at how much she actually wanted to do it. 

 

…………………………………….

 

“You don’t really expect to finish all this, do you?” 

 

“I could if I wanted to.” 

 

“Well, do you want to?” 

 

Wonyoung shook her head, her eyes glancing over the various sweets and pastries on the table. 

 

“I’m taking some home for Yaya.” She said, while signalling for the waiter to come with some takeaway containers. Yujin could tell that the waiter was internally judging them for ordering so much, but he hid it well with a customer service smile. 

 

“Who’s that?” Yujin said. “Who is Yaya?” 

 

“My Nanny.” Wonyoung said, her eyes twinkling a little bit. Yujin grew curious. Whoever it was seemed very important to her. “All of this literally tastes so heavenly.”
 

Wonyoung scrunched her nose slightly at the mint chocolate flavoured macaroon. “Except for that. Mint chocolate ice cream is nice but in a macaroon it’s just nasty.” 

 

“It’s not that bad?” Yujin said when she saw a waiter walking by.

 

“You finish it, then.” 

 

“I-I’m full.” 

 

Wonyoung just rolled her eyes and scoffed. Which Yujin had picked up meant that she was laughing. 

 

Wonyoung started packing some of the food into the container, Yujin opting to help. Along the way she ate a pink macaron. 

 

“How do I say macaron and cake in Korean?” Wonyoung said. 

 

Yujin chuckled. “It’s just the same as english but with an accent. Ma-ka-rong. Ke-i-keu. It happens a lot when it comes to food.” 

 

“Yay, that’s easy. Wonyoung smiled. “How do I say something is yummy?” 

 

“Masisseo.” Yujin said. 

 

“Masisseo.” Wonyoung parroted back in a perfect accent. Yujin was quite impressed. For someone who never spoke Korean before, she was good at imitating the sounds. “Mint chocolate macaroon is not masisseo.” 

 

“You’re a natural.” Yujin beamed, the last pieces of food being placed into the bag. “You have a good accent.” 

 

Yujin grabbed the bags from Wonyoung while the girl bent down to pick up her handbag and throw it over her shoulder. This time the handbag was gucci. 

 

“You haven’t been teaching me, by the way.” Wonyoung said while they walked out of the bakery. “Didn’t I ask you to teach me, Korean? So far I only know the words yummy, pretty, hi and thank you.” 

 

“Which is basically all one needs to know.” Yujin said. “It’s best to learn everything slowly. Maybe watch a few Korean movies so you get used to hearing it. I for one started practicing by watching My Sassy Girl over and over again when I was younger.” 

 

“Your sassy girl? You had a girlfriend when you were younger?” 

 

“What?” Yujin raised an eyebrow for a second before she realised what Wonyoung was saying. “Oh! No, that’s the title of a movie.” 

 

Yujin paused. 

 

“Have you never heard of it before?” 

 

Wonyoung shook her head. 

 

“Have you watched any Korean movies or shows before?” 

 

“Nope.” Wonyoung said. 

 

Yujin sighed. “I’ll give you a list and the first one on that list will be My Sassy Girl. An old movie with a lot of old cultural and societal elements but still a cute movie overall. Also, now that I think about it, the main girl kind of reminds me of you.” 

 

“Is she pretty?” Wonyoung flicked her hair. 

 

“The actress is one of the prettiest and legendary actresses in Korea. She’s like 50 now but still gorgeous.” Yujin said. “But, also her character reminds me so much of you. If you watch it you’ll know what I mean.” 

 

Wonyoung nodded, her hand reaching for her car door. 

 

Then she paused, one hand on the handle. Almost like she was debating something in her head. 

 

“Do you wanna watch it with me?” Wonyoung said. “If you’re free today?”

 

………………………….. 

 

And that was how Yujin found herself in the not quite mansion but still extremely RICH looking house.

 

When she first walked in the first thing she noticed was that everything looked so big and elegant. The kitchen alone felt way bigger than Yujin’s living room and Yujin couldn’t help but feel incredibly small wherever she went. And that was saying something, because Yujin has always been pretty tall. 

 

“Victoria?” 

 

“Down here!” 

 

Yujin observed Wonyoung. The girl was simply standing with the bag of sweets and to anyone else it would look like a perfectly normal thing for anyone to do. Because it was. But it was the fact that it was Wonyoung, and the fact that she was patiently waiting. Yujin knew then that whoever was coming downstairs held a special place in Wonyoung’s mind. 

 

A few moments later, a relatively short and slightly plump lady poked her head from around the hallway. She had sleek black hair that was tucked into a neat bun, a few wispy strands of fly away hair sticking out around her face. She had brown skin and chocolate brown eyes, warm and motherly that made Yujin want to give her a hug. 

 

"Yaya, the bakery was SOOO good.” Wonyoung said, her eyes closing when she emphasised the word ‘soo’. “You should definitely go there. It’s so pretty, too! Look how gorgeous it is.” 

 

Wonyoung unlocked her phone, scrolling through her various pictures that she took at the bakery. Well, technically, various pictures Yujin took of her. 

 

“I love the pink and purple theme.” Wonyoung’s Yaya said, scrolling through Wonyoung’s pictures. 

 

Then she paused upon reaching a certain section. 

 

Wonyoung’s face immediately reddened and she took her phone back, pocketing it. Yujin only raised an eyebrow at the behaviour but didn’t say anything. Mostly because Wonyoung’s Yaya had moved her gaze to rest on her. 

 

Even though she wasn’t necessarily looking at her negatively, Yujin could feel her looking at her inquisitively, like she was analysing something in her head.

 

“This is Yujin.” Wonyoung said, gesturing awkwardly towards the fiddling girl.

 

Yujin offered a polite smile.

 

Wonyoung’s Yaya nodded, giving Yujin her own smile in greeting. 

 

“I’m Maymay.” she said, waving her hand a little bit. “But, you can call me Yaya. It means Nanny.”

 

“Nice to meet you.” Yujin said, her hands awkwardly resting at her sides. 

 

Once again, the shorter woman stared at Yujin inquisitively for a few more seconds and Yujin gulped underneath her gaze. 

 

Then she snapped her fingers, a pointer finger shaking in Yujin’s direction. 

 

“Victoria.” she said. “She is your girlprend, no?” 

 

“Yaya!”

 

Even Yujin was caught off guard. 

 

“What? You took many pictures of her today! You never take pictures of anyone but yourself.” Yaya said as a matter of factly. 

 

Wonyoung’s face grew even redder and she shoved the bag of food into her Nanny’s hands. 

 

“Why don’t you take the day off, today?” Wonyoung said with a forced smile and pink cheeks. “Watch a movie, take a nap or watch those C-dramas you always love watching.” 

 

“See? I’m right.” Yaya said while Wonyoung was lightly pushing her towards the stairs. “You always change the topic when that happens.” 

 

“I do not.” Wonyoung scoffed. 

 

“Oh, you do.” Yujin in as to which made Wonyoung stop and glare at her. 

 

“You.” Wonyoung said. “Don’t you get involved in this.” 

 

“Because you know I’m right.” 

 

“Shut up, Yujin!” 

 

While walking up the stairs, Yaya listened to them bickering, a small smile on her face. 

 

“Can I at least see the pictures you took of me today?” Yujin said once Yaya had disappeared around the corner. 

 

“Don’t listen to her.” Wonyoung groaned. “I only took one picture of you.” 

 

“Well, can I see the one picture of me, then?” 

 

“No.” 

 

“Why not?” 

 

“Cause you’re being annoying.” 

 

“For being right?” 

 

“For siding with her!” 

 

“Who is also right.” 

 

“No she’s not.” 

 

“Why would you ask her to leave if she was wrong?” 

 

“She wasn’t right though.” 

 

“Was she, though?” 

 

“You’re not my girlfriend.” 

 

Yujin shut , her eyebrows furrowing as she stared at Wonyoung who was giving her a victorious smirk. 

 

“What?” Wonyoung said. “It’s true.” 

 

Yujin remained standing there with her eyes narrowing at Wonyoung. Only because she realised Wonyoung was right and she had no clue how to win the argument. 

 

She must have been looking at Wonyoung for awhile because Wonyoung spoke up again. 

 

“What, did you want to be my girlfriend?”

 

Yujin sputtered. 

 

“No way!” 

 

“Hey!” Wonyoung said. “And why not? I’m the perfect catch.” 

 

“Because you’re annoying.” 

 

“Me? Are you kidding me, you’re the annoying one here! Why don’t you want to date me?” 

 

“Are you seriously getting mad at me right now?”

 

“I’m not mad.” Wonyoung said, an obviously mad look on her face.

 

Yujin only chuckled at her. 

 

“You’re laughing at me?” 

 

“How can I not?” Yujin was laughing at Wonyoung’s narrowed eyes. ‘Mad’ Wonyoung was just like a cute puppy in her eyes. She stood up straighter, batting her eyes dramatically and said with a high pitched voice. “I’m a changed person. I’m trying to be more patient with you. So, shut up!” 

 

Wonyoung let out a groan of frustration. She looked like she was 5 seconds away from ripping her hair out. 

 

“I don’t talk like that!” 

 

Yujin’s stomach was starting to hurt from laughing so much and she took a deep breath to calm herself down. 

 

“Fine, let me ask, then.” Yujin said, one wiping at the tears coming out of her eyes. “What would you say if I did say I wanted to date you? How would you react?” 

 

Wonyoung pursed her lips. 

 

“The same way I’d react if you tried to kiss me.” 

 

Yujin just chuckled to herself, shaking her head. 

 

“Believe me when I say, I REALLY don’t get you sometimes.” Yujin said. “But, if it gives you piece of mind, you’d be a decent person to date.” 

 

“Decent?” Wonyoung asked incredulously but Yujin had already turned around and headed towards the couch. 

 

Once she sat down on the incredibly soft couch, she pointed at the large smart TV, the other hand patting on the space next to her. 

 

“Time to educate you on classic Korean love stories.” 

 

……………………….

 

“You think SHE reminds you of ME?” 

 

15 minutes later and Wonyoung and Yujin were seated on the couch, a pink fleece blanket around Wonyoung while Yujin sat a respectable distance next to her. 

 

Currently on the screen, was a very pretty lady drunkenly stumbling around the subway and throwing up on old men. Wonyoung was a very pretty person but Yujin most definitely did not see her like that. 

 

To be honest, the last time Yujin watched this movie she was probably like 8 so she couldn’t remember all of the details. All she knew was that Jihyun (that was the pretty lady), had qualities to her that were on par with Wonyoung’s surface personality. 

 

“Well, not right now, obviously.” Yujin said. “Just keep watching, we’re like 5 minutes into the movie.” 

 

“Minus the drunk throwing up part, I like the fact that a pretty girl reminds you of me,” was the last thing Wonyoung said on that subject matter. 

 

For the next 5 or 10 minutes, Yujin saw Wonyoung scrolling through her phone from time to time to respond to the various messages and Snapchats she was receiving. Didn’t bother Yujin too much, she’ll get more hooked into the movie as it progresses. Also, Yujin much rathered someone who didn’t talk much during movies. 

 

It came to a part in the movie where the main guy brought up the idea of age and that the girl should speak more respectfully to him and Wonyoung scoffed. 

 

“What? Just cause he’s older by like a year he thinks she has to respect him?” Wonyoung sniggered. “Little wimpy man. Always looks like he’s about to cry.”

 

“Actually, it’s like a Korean cultural thing.” Yujin said. “If you’re talking to someone older than you then you have to change your sentences to the polite versions of it. Like, there are endings you add to the word itself to make it respectful.” 

 

“Teach me the words.” Wonyoung whined. “You’re the worst teacher, you teach me like one word every two weeks.” 

 

“Hey! That’s why we’re watching this, so you can learn.” 

 

“Well, teach me some words!”

 

Yujin sighed, the movie still playing in front of them but neither of them were paying too close attention. 

 

“Joyong.” Yujin said with a grin. “It means ‘be quiet’. Or as we’d say in America as you demonstrated this morning; shut up.”

 

“Excuse me?” Wonyoung said. “I think you should be the one joyong-ing.” 

 

Yujin felt like her head was spinning. Never had she heard the phrase being used like that. 

 

“T-that’s not how it works.”

 

“Too bad, that’s how I think it should be.” Wonyoung said. “Joyong! ”

 

Yujin brought a palm to her forehead. 

 

“You know, I’m actually older than you.” Yujin said. “Technically you should be acting respectful with me. You should be saying Joyonghi juseyo.” 

 

“Aren’t we in the same grade? Also, I thought our birthdays are one day apart.” 

 

“Wait, when is yours?” 

 

“August 31st. Eight-three-one.” Wonyoung said. 

 

Yujin’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of those three numbers. 831. She hadn’t thought about those numbers in a long time even though she found herself in front of them almost every day. 

 

“Yours is September 1. Nine-oh-one.” Wonyoung grinned. “So, I’m older than you by a day.” 

 

Yujin raised an eyebrow challengingly at the girl. 

 

“What if I were to tell you that I was born in 2003?” 

 

“Huh??” 

 

“Want me to bring out my student ID as proof?” 

 

Wonyoung stared at her, studying Yujin’s face. Yujin wasn’t known to be a bluffer (that was Yena) and her face seemed to not show any signs of joking. 

 

Wonyoung scoffed. “Did you fail a grade or something?” 

 

Yujin just chuckled at the comment. “I studied in Korea for a semester when I was in middle school, so I had to redo the grade when I came back here.” 

 

Wonyoung nodded. It sounded plausible enough. Didn’t sound like something Yujin would just make up. 

 

“So, if you’re older I have to use respectful language?” 

 

Yujin smiled in victory and she sat up straighter on the couch in happiness. She was very much looking forward to making Wonyoung use formalities in all her sentences whenever she talked to her. It was nice, Yujin felt like for once she was the one with the upper hand when it came to Jang Wonyoung. 

 

While Yujin was musing and basking in her victory, Wonyoung seemed to be thinking hard about something. 

 

Whatever step Yujin felt she had over Wonyoung shattered when Wonyoung uttered her next words. 

 

“Yujin unnie?” 

 

If it was humanly possible, Yujin would have exploded but also melted at the exact same time. She blew up like an explosive while simultaneously turning into a sludge of icecream that was lying under the scorching sun. Wonyoung, was the sun. 

 

Wonyoung must have noticed Yujin’s pained expression because she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. 

 

“Do I not call you that?” 

 

Yujin shook herself out of whatever daze it was that she was in. 

 

Perhaps it was to do with the fact that Yujin was rarely the unnie in her family. She’d always been the youngest, a lot of her family and close Korean friends were either her age or older than her. She’s been used to being the baby, used to being the cute kid going around and calling everyone unnie. 

 

But, goodness gracious. Perhaps also it was the fact that Jang Wonyoung was the cutest person in the entire world. 

 

Being called ‘unnie’ by someone should NOT be this cute. But it was! Because it was Jang Wonyoung!

 

“You do. You definitely do.” Yujin said. “It just shocked me coming out of your mouth.” 

 

“Hey, maybe it can be my nickname for you.” Wonyoung said. “We need nicknames.” 

 

“You’re right.” Yujin said. She let out a little chuckle. “What kind of fake couple would we be if we didn’t have nicknames?” 

 

Wonyoung went silent for a couple moments. 

 

“Unnie.” Wonyoung said, the word rolling off her tongue effortlessly and Yujin felt another incoming heart attack. “It’s cute, but you call your sister the same thing. We need something more original.” 

 

Yujin coughed a little to clear . “I thought we settled with babe.” 

 

“I guess, but it’s kind of basic.” Wonyoung said. “Plus, I called Jacob that. I want something unique with you. You’re not Jacob White.”  

 

“True, but isn’t that good? To call me the same thing you called him?” Yujin countered. “Because, then Jacob will be reminded of when you would call him that and he’ll get even more jealous.”

 

“I don’t want to call you the same thing I called him. I want something reserved only for you.” 

 

Yujin went silent, sending Wonyoung a soft smile. Yeah, Jang Wonyoung was the cutest person in the universe. 

 

“Jagiya is the Korean word for honey.” Yujin said. “Or you can shorten it to Jagi.” 

 

Then she shivered. 

 

“But, that’s what Yena unnie calls her girlfriend and they’re really cringey. So, please don’t call me that.” Yujin said, hugging herself a little. 

 

Wonyoung hummed. 

 

“You remind me of a puppy sometimes. Is there a word for puppy in Korean?” 

 

“DaengDaengie. My unnies call me that.” 

 

“Damn. Already taken.” Wonyoung said. “I think I’ll just switch between babe and unnie for now.”

 

A beat of silence passed between them before Wonyoung piped up again. 

 

“What about me?” 

 

Yujin paused to think. “A nickname for you?” 

 

Wonyoung nodded. 

 

“Um. I don’t really know.” 

 

“Well, how do you see me?” Wonyoung prodded. Any attention on the movie was lost and Wonyoung was staring straight at Yujin now. 

 

“I mean,” Yujin felt a little awkward under Wonyoung’s gaze, “you’re you.” 

 

“And what is me?” Wonyoung said. “To you.” 

 

“You’re scary.” 

 

Wonyoung glared at Yujin. 

 

“But, sometimes you remind me of a little bunny.” Yujin said. 

 

“A bunny?” Wonyoung said. “We can work with that. Is there a word for bunny in Korean?” 

 

“Tokki.” 

 

“That’s cute.” Wonyoung said. “But, I don’t know. I’m just looking for something… more. You know?”

 

Yujin nodded even though she really didn’t know what Wonyoung was referring. 

 

“Unnie? Can I ask you something?”

 

Honestly, Wonyoung could ask Yujin any question in the world, any request and Yujin would answer it or do it or fulfill it. Yujin would literally do anything as long as Wonyoung called her unnie in that cute voice of hers. 

 

“What do you think of me, like really?” 

 

Yujin studied Wonyoung’s expression. There was something different about her usual look. There seemed to be something underneath the simple question. Like another question, hiding. 

 

What did Yujin think about Wonyoung? 

 

“You’re cool.” Yujin said her words carefully. 

 

“But like, why?” Wonyoung said. “What do you like about me?” 

 

“Um.” Yujin said, fidgeting a little under Wonyoung’s gaze. “You’re pretty transparent. You get straight to the point. I don’t like it when people beat around the bush. I feel like I have to try and decode what they’re saying.” 

 

It was true. Wonyoung was always direct when it came to Yujin. Though, it was mostly just Yujin. A lot of the time she was a pretty quiet person unless she knew exactly what she wanted.

 

“That makes you really easy to talk to.” Yujin said.”

 

“You’re pretty easy to talk to, too.” Wonyoung said. 

 

Lately, the two of them had been conversing more. Whether it was through text or during the short times they would be seeing each other face to face, the two had been more comfortable in sharing stories about what happened during the day or past stories. Like how actual friends were like. 

 

It almost felt like the two of them had learnt more about each other in the past week than they had in the last month or so of their arrangement. 

 

“I guess what I’m trying to say is,” Wonyoung bit her lip slightly, “who am I, to you?” 

 

The room stilled. The temporarily forgotten movie had reduced to a dull white noise in the background.

 

Yujin mulled over the question. The girl who had asked it was waiting patiently, watching intently while Yujin was thinking to herself. 

 

They both caught each other’s gazes. 

 

Then Yujin spoke. 

 

Who was she to Yujin?

 

“Wonyoung.” 

 

Yujin could see the other girl was taken aback at the comment. 

 

Yujin had said it so softly, just above a whisper. Really, this was Yujin’s first time actually referring to her out loud as Wonyoung. Yes, in her head she called her that and she even saved her name as that, but she’s never actually spoken those syllables before. She’s never practiced and felt the way the name effortlessly rolled off her tongue.

 

“To me, you’re Wonyoung.” Yujin said with more finality.

 

Wonyoung was honestly in awe. It might not have given her the sort of answer she was looking for, but Yujin’s voice, the shape of her lips gently curving as she said "Wonyoung" - she replays it in her mind over and over and over. 

 

She really liked the sound of her name coming from Yujin. 

 

It was settled that afternoon. To Yujin, she was never Vicky Jang. No, to Yujin, she was Jang Wonyoung. 

 

………….

 

It was Monday morning, a few weeks before their big cheer competition and honestly, the whole routine was feeling like a mess. Usually, the captain was good at cleaning up the smaller details but today, she was a little out of it. 

 

“Vicky, focus!”

 

Sloppy was probably the word she would call herself if she could see how she was doing in that moment. 

 

Look, it was a little hard for Wonyoung to try and focus. Her head was way too in the clouds. 

 

“She’s probably thinking about Yujin.” She heard a teasing voice say from behind her. It was only loud enough for those around her to hear but not loud enough for their coach to pick up on. 

 

Wonyoung didn’t have to turn around to know that it was Rebecca. She stayed silent, because Rebecca was right. Though, not in the way she was implying. 

 

Wonyoung felt like she had a rose in her heart. The mere existence of the rose was clogging it up and she was waiting for the day she would cough it out because honestly, it was really starting to hurt. 

 

She didn’t even know of it’s existence until it started to bloom at a rapid rate. All of a sudden Wonyoung’s heart started beating like crazy at random intervals and she had to stop and breathe to calm herself down. 

 

At least, it felt like random intervals. But Wonyoung knew the real reason. 

 

“Is Yujin here yet?” 

 

Jiheon jumper, her shoulder hitting the door of her locker and her phone falling out of her pocket. 

 

“Eotteokhae.” Jiheon murmured to herself when she picked up her phone. Thankfully there were no cracks or scratches. Well, at least NEW cracks or scratches. 

 

“Sorry.” Wonyoung said while storing her new vocabulary in the back of her mind. Helped that she’s heard that word a few times before. 

 

“It’s nothing, you just surprised me.” Jiheon said. “And no, she said she’s running a little later than usual because her sister’s girlfriend is here and Yena woke up late to drop her off.” 

 

“Ah.” Wonyoung said. “It’s okay she still has 15 minutes.” 

 

“Yup.” Jiheon said, hugging some textbooks awkwardly to her chest. The two of them have actually never had a conversation before and Jiheon especially was feeling lost because in hindsight she knew nothing about Vicky Jang.

 

Though, it didn’t take much to know that something was on her mind. 

 

“You, uh…” Jiheon coughed slightly, “you feeling okay?” 

 

Wonyoung seemed to be shaken out of a deep thought because she snapped her head towards Jiheon in slight surprise. 

 

“What? Oh, yeah I’m alright.” Wonyoung said. “All good. I’m great.” 

 

“Are you sure?” Jiheon said. “Is everything alright with you and Yujin?” 

 

“Oh, yeah everything is good, we’re good.” Wonyoung quickly said. “W-why, did Yujin say anything?” 

 

“No?” Jiheon said. “Was she supposed to say anything?”

 

Wonyoung shook her head. “Just asking. Just wondering if she, you know, said anything about me. But it’s whatever, you know.”

 

“She’s your girlfriend. Just ask her whatever it is you want to know.” Jiheon chuckled. 

 

Girlfriend. Fake girlfriend but Wonyoung chose not to dwell on those little details for once in her life. 

 

“Besides, she never talks to me about these sort of things.” Jiheon said. “Like, this girl was literally crushing on you since Freshman year and didn’t tell me until months ago.” 

 

Wonyoung’s ears perked up at this sentence. 

 

Yujin had a crush on her?

 

“Pause. She’s liked me since Freshman year?” 

 

Jiheon looked like she was caught robbing a store. 

 

“Y-you didn’t know?” Jiheon said. “I thought she would’ve told you.”

 

“No?”

 

Jiheon started giggling to herself. Yujin must have been way too embarrassed to tell Wonyoung. 

 

“Basically,” Jiheon said with a smile on her face, “Yujin has had the biggest crush on this unknown person ever since Freshman year. I only found this out at the beginning of the year. But she refused to tell me who it was. All I knew was that she was on the second floor. That’s why she always insisted on using the faulty vending machine there. So she could see her crush.” 

 

“When did she tell you it was me?” 

 

“She didn’t have to.” Jiheon said. “I just put two and two together when you two started dating. Which by the way, no offense to Yujin but I really don’t know how she got you to like her back. I mean, you’re Vicky Jang.” 

 

(Yes, but with Yujin, she was Jang Wonyoung). 

 

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about that, actually.” Jiheon said. “When did you start liking her? And how? Yujin told me you met at her family convenience store but that’s kinda it.” 

 

Wonyoung shrugged, a slight blush appearing on her cheeks. 

 

“I just liked how she cared about me.” Wonyoung said. “Like, actually cared. I could tell by the way she would talk to me.” 

 

“So, she said ‘that would be $7.52’ and your heart skipped a beat?” 

 

Wonyoung just laughed at the comment but chose not to elaborate any further.

 

 Suddenly, she felt her phone buzz and she quickly checked her screen to see that she had an incoming text. 

 

“It’s Yujin, isn’t it?” 

 

“Did she text you too?” 

 

“No, you just have a goofy smile.” Jiheon snickered at her. 

 

Wonyoung’s cheeks grew bright red. 

 

“She said she’s at my locker.” Wonyoung said. “See you.” 

 

Jiheon just gave her a knowing look. 

 

“Goofy smile.” Wonyoung murmured to herself when she was out of hearing range. “I do no such thing, dammit.” 

 

Then again, how would Wonyoung know when she couldn’t even see herself. 

 

It made sense, though. Yujin always had the ability to make Wonyoung feel lighter just by being around. It was kind of hard to be stern and grumpy when you had such a bright personality next to you. 

 

Wonyoung found herself unconsciously viewing the world ever so differently, courtesy of hanging around Yujin. Like, things she never noticed before suddenly became beautiful. 

 

Take nature, for example. The beach in particular. Beaches have always just been beaches to Wonyoung. A place to sunbathe, watch people surf and go get a tan. But, when she sits there with Yujin, she can’t help but want to stop and breathe in the air. She can’t help but want to actually take in her surroundings. She never noticed how pretty the waves looked when they crashed onto sound. Like, she knew they did that and she’s seen it before, but she never thought anything of it. It was just another fact, another constant in the world that she’d usually store in the back of her mind. 

 

Simple things like walking up the stairs to the second floor made Wonyoung feel happy. Because at the top of the staircase was a lone vending machine- a slightly fault vending machine- that Wonyoung associated with the girl with the prettiest smile. Said girl was always kicking at it. 

 

And said girl was currently at her locker, looking as beautiful as she always does. 

 

Yujin had her hair in a ponytail this morning, showing off her smooth jawline. From Wonyoung’s point of view she was looking at Yujin’s side profile. She saw the curve of her nose, the tips of her ears growing red. She saw her eyes crinkling with her smile and her dimple, that adorable dimple was peeking out. 

 

It all happened so fast. Next thing Wonyoung knew Yujin was laughing and heart started to pound erratically against her squeezing chest. 

 

The rose. If Wonyoung was to cough she knew she’d probably cough up some petals. 

 

It was then that she knew it. 

 

Vicky Jang- no -Jang Wonyoung was in love with Ahn Yujin. 

 

It was like a force was pulling Wonyoung towards Yujin. She made her way over to her with long strides, a soft grin on her face.

 

“G’morning.” Wonyoung said. 

 

“Oh, hey.” Yujin turned away from the person she was talking to to give Wonyoung a small smile. “Didn’t see you there.” 

 

“Hi, Vicky.” said the third person. It was Jihan. 

 

“Guess what?” Yujin said, an excited sparkle in her eye. 

 

Wonyoung felt more flowers blooming in her chest. 

 

“Jihan said she’ll play keys for my band.” Yujin was smiling widely now. 

 

“Cool.” Wonyoung nodded towards Jihan who was giving her her own dimpled smile. Wow, she never noticed before but Jihan’s vibe kind of matched well with Yujin’s.

 

Wonyoung opened up her locker to retrieve her books for next period, handing them to Yujin to hold while she touched up on her lip gloss. 

 

“Lachie and Ben said they’re free to practice on Thursdays, by the way.” Wonyoung smacked her lips together to spread the lip gloss. “Also, Lachie said his parents said yes to using their garage to practice.” 

 

“That’s awesome!” Yujin exclaimed. If Wonyoung was happy that morning, Yujin seemed to be on a whole other level. Wonyoung wondered what happened to Yujin between last night and this morning to have her acting like this. 

 

She turned to Jihan and Wonyoung was met again with Yujin’s pretty side profile. She especially thought it was extremely cute that the tips of her ears were red. Was she embarrassed or something? Or maybe it was because it was a little bit chilly at the moment. It was nearing the winter months, anyways. 

 

“Will you be free to practice on Thursday?” Yujin asked Jihan as to which the girl nodded happily. 

 

Yujin hugged Wonyoung’s books closer to her chest. 

 

Giddy. That was the word Wonyoung was looking for. Yujin looked extremely giddy that morning. Maybe she was excited to have seen Yena’s girlfriend?

 

“Sure, just let me know the address.”

 

“I can text it to you.” Yujin said. She cleared . “Do I have your number?”

 

“Sure, give me your phone. I’ll put my contact down.” 

 

Wonyoung watched as the two exchanged numbers, the gears in her head turning. 

 

“I’ll text you.” Yujin said. “Thanks for agreeing! I’m gonna go find Jiheon now.” 

 

She started to walk off, hugging the books to her chest with her right arm, the other waving towards Wonyoung and Jihan. 

 

“Bye bye!” Yujin grinned. 

 

“Wait, Yujin.” Wonyoung held Yujin’s arm. 

 

The other girl looked very confused. 

 

“My books?” 

 

Yujin looked down at the books in her arms, her cheeks growing slightly red. 

 

“Oh! Sorry.” Yujin pushed them into Wonyoung’s arms. 

 

“Thanks, babe.” Wonyoung said. “Wait for me after class?” 

 

Yujin laughed nervously, eyeing Wonyoung’s hand on her arm. “It’s just Jihan, you don’t have to keep up the act.” 

 

Wonyoung raised an eyebrow. 

 

“She knows we’re not- ” Yujin looked around to make sure no one was within ear shot, “not, actually dating.” 

 

Wonyoung couldn’t believe her ears. 

 

“See you later.” Yujin said, her giddy grin back on her face. “Bye, Jihan!” 

 

Wonyoung watched her go, feeling the urge to start coughing. 

 

“She’s awfully happy today.” Jihan giggled, closing her locker door. “Wonder what’s up with her.” 

 

Wonyoung eyed Jihan who was adjusting her books in her arms. 

 

“Yeah.” Wonyoung said. “I wonder.”

 

Suddenly the bell rang and Jihan jumped a little. Wonyoung cursed at how cute her surprised face was. There was no way you could hate this girl. 

 

“Bye, Vicky!” Jihan gave her a bright smile, her head tilting a little bit making her look like a puppy. Jihan really did remind Wonyoung of Yujin a lot. 

 

Once Jihan had turned around her smile dropped and she sighed to herself. Wonyoung let out a dry cough. 

 

(Jang Wonyoung was in love with Ahn Yujin…)

 

Wonyoung ran a finger over the locker with the number 831, laughing at the irony of it all. 

 

831. Wonyoung’s birthday. 

 

...

 

Locker 831. Jihan’s locker. 

 

(... but, it looked like Ahn Yujin had feelings for someone else. )

 

..................................

 

A/N: 
*looks away because I just dropped the bombshell I've been planning since the first chapter* don't hate my bby Jihan she's innocent and cute how can Yujin not like her??

Anyways, I know it's been a whole month hehehe. Thanks for everyone who waited patiently. I hope this longer than usual chapter makes up for it!! I've been grinding studying for all my exams and have been slowly writing this on the side. I love doing things to procrastinate, it's fun! 

Before I go I just wanna say thank you to my adopted Vietnamese Ate!! @ryudaeong (on twitter) is always there to bounce off ideas with me and I really can't write this fic without her. She actually wrote like 3 lines for this that I straight up just copied and pasted because it was so good. She also gave me the idea about the Wonyoung leaning on Yujin thing because she remembered that one story where someone saw the two of them at a cafe or something and apparently Wonyoung looked tired so she was leaning swaying slightly and leaning on Yujin. Also,,, she was the one who introduced me to My Sassy Girl and I watched it and Wonyoung especially in this fic really did remind me of the main girl hahahaha. Love you, Ate @ryudaeong!!

Anyways, hope everyone is doing okay!