“Who are your dates for prom?” Yuri asked while plopping down on the chair in front of her best friends.

 

The school cafeteria was loud and lively. Students roamed the place as some sat down to eat and chatter with the little time they had with their peers. That was the same case for Minjoo and her small group of friends. 

 

“My girlfriend, obviously,” Chaeryeong said with sass. Yuri scowled at her reply as the girl paid her no mind. Her eyes focused on the bright screen of her phone, typing away as she was probably texting the said girlfriend.

 

“You didn’t have to rub it in that you’re the only one who’s not single here.” Yuri narrowed her eyes on the girl. Chaeryeong only shrugged her shoulders as she placed her phone screen down on the table.

 

“Wrong. I have a girlfriend, too,” a voice chimed in. Yuri’s scowl only deepened when she realized who the owner of the cheery voice was.

 

“It’s because you are her girlfriend, you !” Their small friend exclaimed with visible annoyance. Her eyes glaring at the girl that sat adjacent to Chaeryeong’s seat.

 

“Hi, Ryeong,” the girl greeted with a grin painting her lips. 

 

“Hey, Ryu,” Chaeryeong returned with a kiss on her cheek. Yuri’s glare was hard and cold at the two people blatantly showing off their relationship to everyone.

 

“You know, you’re technically wrong for saying Chaeryeong is the only one who isn’t single in this friend group,” Hyejoo quipped beside Minjoo, her gray eyes meeting Yuri’s burning glare. She only stuck her tongue out to the girl before going back to focusing on her food.

 

“All of you are insufferable,” Yuri grumbled before crossing her arms above her chest, acting like the little childish brat that she was.

 

“Even me?” Yerim asked with big, adorable eyes beside her. Yuri felt herself pouting. She always feels like she’s losing at every bickering argument her friends have with her.

 

“No…” she trailed off with a pout. Yerim only beamed at her as she patted her head softly, trying her best to comfort the sulking girl.

 

“I’m going with Yeojin.” Yerim quickly changed the topic. All the girls on the table looked at her with questioning eyes. Minjoo’s only reaction was to look up for a bit to see the smug smile the girl has on before going back to drawing something on her sketchpad.

 

“Did you really?” Chaeryeong asked with excited eyes. Yerim vigorously nodded her head as the thought excited her too. 

 

“Wow,” Yuri sighed in awe. “Wished all of us had a date for prom. Right, Hyejoo?” Yuri threw the question at the shocked girl with a bite. Her pettiness got the best of her as she still sent daggers at the gray-eyed girl.

 

“That’s cool.” Hyejoo shrugged Yuri’s statement off. A smirk grew on her triangle-shaped lips as she picked up her can of soda. “I’ve got a date, too.”

 

“What the !?” Yuri exclaimed loudly. Chaeryeong glared at the girl for being loud. Although she knows that Yuri’s loud voice would be drowned out by the bustling students in the room, the girl screaming out her lungs in a public space still gives her an immense amount of second hand embarrassment. “Who?!”

 

“Chaewon,” Hyejoo coolly replies. Minjoo’s ears perked up at the name. Her lethargic eyes widening only by a bit as she lifted her head to the girl beside her. Hyejoo stared back at her, an amused glint washed over her gray orbs. Her smirk widening at the sudden interest of her friend with the familiar name.

 

“Park,” the girl clarified with a chuckle. Her eyes bore straight right into Minjoo’s as if she was trying to say something. Minjoo only blinked at her. A feeling of relief suddenly washed over her body as she pushed her glasses up on the bridge of her nose. 

 

“Damn it! Why did Park suddenly agree to go with this furry?” Yuri exclaimed, again, as she furiously glared at the girl. Hyejoo only shook her head with a smile, her attention turning back to the girl beside her. Minjoo immediately moved her head back to her sketchpad. Her eyes running over the paper with the little sketch she made. A small, very small, satisfied grin forming on her lips.

 

“Yuri, will you please shut up?” Chaeryeong reprimanded the girl with a hushed voice.

 

“Chaer, we’re literally inside the busiest rooms of the school at lunchtime. No one cares!” Yuri argued back. Hyejoo drowned out their bickering as she leaned over a bit to Minjoo’s left ear.

 

“Need clarification much?” She whispered, making sure that her voice was low enough to only be heard by who she was throwing the question at. Minjoo couldn’t help but snap her head up to look at the girl with shaky eyes. Her posture rigid as the knowing glint in her friend’s gray orbs felt like it was cornering her. Hyejoo only smiles at her warmly, patting her shoulders as she tries to calm her friend down before she starts word vomiting. “Don’t worry. Kim Chaewon is all yours.”

 

“K-Kim Chaewon and I are not—”

 

“We’re not?” A very familiar high-pitched voice cuts her off, saving her from the stuttering mess that she was. Minjoo turned around to look at the girl. Her light brown eyes stared at her with a curious glint just like the tone of her voice. Pools of sweet caramel that Minjoo adored so much.

 

But Minjoo noticed something different with her. She’s not entirely sure what but she tilted her head at the girl with confusion. Eyeing her as she tried to figure out what it was.

 

Maybe it’s her outfit? 

 

The girl was wearing a black skirt that flowed down to the middle of her thighs. A light-colored denim jacket worn over a white turtleneck crop top. A pair of black sneakers adorned her feet as her white socks slightly peeked out of them. Minjoo noted that those were her favorite pair of Vans.

 

No, she always dresses up like this. Then, what is it? 

 

Then Minjoo stared back up at her face. Her eyes finally looked over the hair that framed her head. Minjoo felt her brain haywire at the realization.

 

“You dyed your hair,” Minjoo dumbly breathed out. Her eyes wide and slightly opened in complete awe. 

 

First of all, her hair was not up in her usual ponytail. The long locks freely cascaded down her shoulders. The long brown locks as it should be. But her hair was now in a different shade.

 

It was pitch black like the three am night sky.

 

Chaewon laughed at the girl’s reaction. Her heart was beating a little bit faster at the attention she was receiving from the younger girl. 

 

“Hello to you too, Joo,” she said with a bright smile. Her eyes closed into crescents as she patted the fluffy beige-colored hair of the girl’s. Her hand resting on top of her head as she waited for the girl to get out of her daze.

 

Minjoo still gaped at her. Dark chocolate eyes filled with surprise as she couldn’t deny that the girl was prettier with this darker color of hair. She felt closing up at the gorgeous girl standing just right behind her.

 

“What the hell, Chaewon? You look hot with black hair!” Yuri, yet again, shouted really loud. But this time, Chaeryeong didn’t scold her as she was also staring at the girl with wide eyes. Yerim nodded her head in agreement as Ryujin only whistled lowly. Meanwhile, Hyejoo was trying to refrain herself from laughing. Minjoo looked like a gaping at the older girl like that.

 

“Close your mouth, Min. You’re gonna start drooling at this point.” Hyejoo whispered to her again. Teasing her friends was always her forte. And Minjoo had half a mind to jab her finger on the slightly younger girl’s ribs.

 

“Stop being a cheeky little before I do something I’ll regret,” Minjoo hissed with clenched jaws. Her voice lowered to a whisper as she glared at the gray-eyed girl. Hyejoo held her hands up in feign surrender, shrugging the threat off as she laughed heartily at her friend. 

 

Suddenly, her hair was ruffled. It forced her to tear her eyes away from her annoying friend to the girl that had her hand on her head. Chaewon smiled down at her as she took the seat beside her.

 

“I didn’t bring Chaewon here today for you guys to drool at her.” Hitomi showed up behind Yuri. Sliding down beside Ryujin’s seat as she placed her books down on the table.

 

“Oh, she’s definitely talking about you, Minjoo.” Nako’s statement was the final straw for Hyejoo as the girl bursted out laughing. Her small friend took the seat on the other side of Chaewon as she also set her own books down on the smooth surface of the table. 

 

Minjoo’s face flushed in a deep color of red. Embarrassment filled her to the brim as she lowered her head to hide her cheeks. Beige hair falling down as her friends continued to laugh and chuckle at her flustered state. 

 

Chaewon only shook her head at the group of friends. A smile formed on her lips as she briefly looked over at the embarrassed girl beside her. 

 

“C’mon, you guys! Give Min a break. You know she malfunctions at the sight of pretty girls,” Yerim tried to ease Minjoo’s embarrassment but she only managed to fuel her friends' laughter more.

 

“Yerim!” Minjoo whined as her lower lip protruded to a pout. 

 

I really need new friends.

 

“Your friends are one of a kind.” A hand patted Minjoo’s open knee. The warm palm came in direct contact with her skin as she was wearing a black pair of jeans that was ripped on the knees. Minjoo isn’t quite sure if this helps ease the red color of her cheeks. Still, she tried her best to swallow it all down. Gulping as she replied to the girl with a whiny voice. 

 

“A nice way to call them annoying.”

 

Chaewon only laughed at that. 

 

Minjoo finally got herself to calm down and decided to glare at all of her friends. Their laughter slowly died down as the older girl went to focus on Nako and Hitomi. Her hand was still on Minjoo’s knee as she tried her best to teach the two girls with only her right hand. 

 

Chaewon stayed at their table for the majority of their lunch break. Which was a surprising thing because she rarely hangs out with them and she’s only the closest to Minjoo. But she was also the two Japanese girls’ tutor. Helping them out to speak Korean more fluently. And Minjoo guesses that Hitomi and Nako wanted to get extra work in for today. And Chaewon did her job. Too perfectly, much to Minjoo’s dismay.

 

The older girl barely paid her any attention. Only keeping her hand on top of her knee as she conversed with the two Japanese. Minjoo felt her fingers lightly caress her skin, shooting electricity all over her body as she shuddered at the girl’s warmth. She couldn’t help but gulp in nervousness again, her senses heightening at the presence of the older girl. She tried her best to focus on the sketch she’s doing.

 

“Did you eat something for lunch, Joo?” Chaewon finally turned her attention to the younger girl. Her eyes also looked at the drawing the girl was doing. Watching the way Minjoo’s long, slender fingers skillfully move her pencil around the slightly thick piece of paper.

 

“Honestly? No.” Minjoo gave her an honest reply. Briefly looking at the older girl before going back to focusing on her sketch. “I overcalculated the amount of brownies I could eat before I would feel full. I ate too much while trying to sneakily eat it at Ms. Im’s class.”

 

Chaewon’s eyes moved to stare at the girl’s side profile. Her orbs had a calm wave inside of them. Her teeth unconsciously pulled her lower lip in a bite as her brows slightly furrowed in concentration. A habit that Chaewon had learned about that she absolutely adored. She kept staring as she found the sharpness of her jawline attractive and saw the way the girl’s circle-rimmed specs slowly slid down the bridge of her pointy nose.

 

“You know, for a known nerd in school you do a lot of questionable things in classes,” Chaewon quipped as Minjoo looked up at her with a grin. Her favorite bright chocolate eyes slowly become hidden behind crescent moons.

 

“I’m not just any nerd, Won. You know that.” Minjoo’s grin widened as Chaewon physically felt her heart swoon at the sight of this adorable girl.

 

Minjoo was known to be one of the top students at school. She was up in the higher ranks of her class— her whole grade level even. She was extremely intelligent and most importantly— pretty. She both has the beauty and the brains. She would always walk down the halls with eyes watching her every move.

 

Chaewon was one of those people who watched and stared.

 

She remembered the first time she saw the younger girl. 

 

It was her sophomore year. She was on her way to her locker when she suddenly heard the people around her gushing about the new student transferee. She didn’t pay any attention to them at first when suddenly everything seemed to quiet down. Of course, being the curious little cat she was, she turned around to check what was going on.

 

And that’s when she saw Kim Minjoo. In all of her hoodie and glasses glory. Walking down the crowded hallway on her way to her own locker to retrieve her books. A little she looked flustered at the attention, but she tried her best to ignore the staring eyes.

 

Unlike what most dramas like to show, people with glasses are not ugly. It was some sort of a stereotype that didn’t really fit in well with people like Minjoo. The girl’s looks were obviously above average and everyone in their school would be blind to not know how attractive she looks in those black-rimmed specs of hers.

 

And honestly, Chaewon would like to think that Minjoo looked hot in glasses.

 

Trying her best to calm her beating heart, the hand on the girl’s knee moved up to push the girl’s black glass up to the bridge of her nose. Her fingers lingering on the frames as she spoke in a whisper.

 

“You definitely are not,” she replied. 

 

Minjoo was still called a nerd although she was one, if not, the most attractive girl everyone has ever seen. Chaewon thinks it’s because of the random chemistry jokes that the younger girl likes to use as a conversation starter. Either way, their school still decided to call her a nerd for that and to try and categorize her only in one thing. Chaewon didn’t like it at first but Minjoo decided to pride on being a nerd rather than getting offended that she was being called one.

 

She watched the way Minjoo’s smile slowly fell as her dark chocolate eyes suddenly felt like it was trying to set Chaewon on fire. She didn’t know that her dark orbs could possibly get darker.  Her eyes looked like molten chocolates as it felt like it was burning Chaewon’s skin. A chill ran down her spine as her fingers ghosted over the side of the younger girl’s face. The loud chatter of Minjoo’s friends was slowly becoming muffled as Minjoo allowed herself to look at Chaewon a little longer than she would. 

 

She couldn’t ignore the loud thrumming of her heart against her ribcage.

 

She opened to say something— only to be interrupted by a voice, manlier than her own.

 

“Hey, Chaewon.” Everyone seated at the table stopped to stare at the boy that popped the little bubble the two girls had. Minjoo felt slightly annoyed. Chaewon lowered her hand that was hovering on the younger girl’s cheek. Her body twisted slightly to look at the person. It was the boys’ football team captain.

 

What was his name again? Chaewon tried to rack her brain only to come up with nothing. She didn’t care enough to know his name when the girl beside her literally exists.

 

Chaewon opted to smile at him as a polite sign for him to continue what he wanted to say. A red rose was suddenly presented in front of her. Her sharp eyes staring at the lone flower in between the boy’s fingertips.

 

“I heard you don’t have a date for prom yet so I’m just…” he smiled brightly at Chaewon. “Shooting my shot.” 

 

Chaewon tried her best to control her reaction. Her eyes just stared at the rose in front of her as her lips pursed to a thin line. She felt herself internally frowning as she found herself wishing it was a certain nerd asking her this question and giving her this rose.

 

Said nerd was beside her and couldn’t keep her annoyance to herself.

 

Everyone’s attention in the cafeteria was now on them. Expecting what the girl’s answer would be.

 

Eyes were always on Chaewon wherever she goes— too much for Minjoo’s liking. She couldn’t do much about it though because Chaewon was the beloved member of the debate team and she has the absolute looks of a princess. Again, it’s like her case. She’s undeniably pretty that everyone would always watch and stare at her. Just… ten times worse than Minjoo because Chaewon actually hangs around people that are dubbed as “popular” in their school. For example, she’s close friends with the student council president, Kwon Eunbi. 

 

Minjoo is used to people staring at Chaewon, though. Used to see people try and ask the girl out while she’s around as she tries her best not to laugh when she rejects them. Which happens almost all the time. Minjoo doesn’t remember a time where she accepted a date. She’s kind of glad that she never does. 

 

Reasons why she was? She's completely clueless as to what the reasons were.

 

But right now, she doesn’t understand why she suddenly felt an uncomfortable feeling in her chest. She felt extremely annoyed at the fact that this athlete boy intruded the little bubble they both made for themselves. Felt a little frustrated at the fact that he’s asking Chaewon out in the middle of a bustling cafeteria.

 

She doesn’t like this very much.

 

Frowning deeply, she suddenly took Chaewon’s hand that was on her lap. Pulling it over to hers as she tried to act like she’s just checking her drawing. The older girl only managed to stare at her as Minjoo intertwined their fingers. Holding onto the little fireball that was Chaewon’s hand a little tighter. A light blush dusted Chaewon’s cheeks as she looked back at the boy.

 

“Sorry…” Chaewon trailed off, an apologetic smile on her lips. Minjoo physically relaxed at the girl’s reply. Her hand slacking a bit in Chaewon’s hold as her eyes returned back to a calming wave.

 

It was slightly awkward after that. The boy only let out a sigh before leaving their table. It took a couple of seconds before everyone went back to their own conversations and food. Minjoo ignored it all as she held onto the older girl’s hand firmly.

 

“Don’t you want a date for prom, Chae?” Hitomi asked after a few beats. The group of friends moved to lean over the table to listen to Chaewon’s reply. The older girl only gave them a cryptic smile.

 

“It’s not that I don’t want one…” she started. Her caramel eyes suddenly cloudy with a tinge of sadness at her train of thought. 

 

“Just waiting for someone I like.” Minjoo felt Chaewon squeeze her hand. She tried her best to ignore the implications it had. 

 

“You got someone in mind already?” Hyejoo asked. A tranquil snowstorm in her gray orbs as she stared at Chaewon with a sympathetic look. Her friend can honestly be quite dense sometimes and she feels bad for the older girl to be kept waiting.

 

“Something like that,” was Chaewon’s only reply.

 

Minjoo ignored it all.