"Hey. What are you doing awake?" Yewon laughs quietly.

"I can't sleep. I'm too excited."

"Do you want to come over?"

"I was actually wondering if you could. I have something for you."

She smiles and throws her blankets off of her. "Alright. I'll be right down." She doesn't hang up, letting the other stay with her in case something happens. She grabs her favorite jacket, and quietly opens the apartment door. 

"I'm still here," the other reassures over the phone. 

Cautiously looking around before exiting the elevator, her feet practically move on their own. She's been to the other's apartment so many times, she can get there blindfolded.

Before she can knock on the door, it opens.

"Good evening, m'lady."

"Good evening to you too, my liege," Yewon replies with a curtsy. They take careful quiet steps, trying to not make any sounds. 

As they head to the balcony, her jaw drops at the sight behind the glass door. 

"Eunbi... what's this?"

"I set it up for us. I thought it would be cute." Eunbi shrugs like the dork she is, and slides open the door for Yewon to step out first. 

The latter had never been fond of these kinds of things: cliché tropes, pinterest boards, fairy lights, film cameras, sleeping under the stars. She embraces the uniqueness of modernity.

But Eunbi loved those things. 

Of course Eunbi would set up a foam with blankets surrounded by fairy lights on her balcony. 

"Were you planning this?" Yewon smirks.

"I've been planning this for hours. I was just really hoping you would still be awake."

"Your hope works." She flops down and looks out at the city lights. "So what are we doing?"

"I uhm, wanted to talk."

The look on Eunbi's face causes Yewon to hold her breath as worry bubbles inside her. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah... yeah. I'm feeling sentimental, so I thought it would be nice to reminisce with our last hours as high school students." She sighs and wraps one of the blankets around her body.  "Crazy how fast time has flown."

"It is. We're getting old," Yewon laughs.

"I remember the day before senior year, we did the same thing— met up in the middle of the night and talked about whatever."

"We were so tired on the first day of school. I almost fell asleep during Math." There's sadness in Eunbi's eyes which Yewon doesn't fail to notice, but she continues in hopes of cheering her up. "It was weird not having the unnies around. I mean, over the years, at least one of them was still with us. Eating lunch together, going home together, hanging out during the weekends— I miss that. Even Sojung unnie moved out."

"We're all going on different paths." Eunbi turns her head to face the other. "And that's okay."

"You and I will be on the same path for quite a while," Yewon says, blushing. "We're most likely not going to be roommates in the dorm, but I mean— same school!" 

Eunbi simply nods at that as she continues to stare at the night sky. She looked so warm and gentle with the fairy lights lighting her skin, and Yewon loved it.

"Wanna go to the amusement park after graduation?" the older asks out of the blue.

"Oh... sure."

"Cool. It's a date."

The way Eunbi said that so naturally made Yewon blush even harder. 

But everytime she gets her hopes up, she remembers Eunbi's always been like that. Friendly. Protective. Warm hearted. Incredibly attractive. 

She also remembers how big of a crush Eunbi has on her older sister. Of course, why would Eunbi always come over everytime Sojung was there? Or why would  she blush whenever her sister would tease Eunbi? Or why those two had some sort of inside joke?

Yewon had asked Eunbi about it multiple times. "Do you like my sister?" Every single time, Eunbi would say yes. But whenever she followed it up with, "Do you like her?", Eunbi would change the subject or just not answer.

But that was enough to stop Yewon from daydreaming about her best friend multiple times. 

"Yewon-ah," Eunbi calls in a whisper. "Do you get scared? About the future?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know... it's college. What if I don't do well? What if I end up dropping out and sticking with a career I don't like? How do I even know my course is what I like? Then I don't want to be stuck with that career for the rest of my life. What if I end up being ridiculed by my parents, professors, classmates, yo—"

"Hwang Eunbi."

Eunbi had started hyperventilating, and Yewon had to calm her down. The younger puts a hand on the back of the other's head, and slowly her hair. She opens her arms to bring her into a hug, with her other hand running up and down her back. "It's okay. You're okay. Breathe." 

Yewon could feel her tense body, but could also hear Eunbi trying to level her breathing again.

It hurt to see the older hurt herself with these thoughts. Eunbi ever only showed it to her— not even to her family. 

Tightening her arms around her, Yewon sighed. "I do get scared. I'm young. I'm weak. I'm naive. How could I ever survive the future? But then I remember where I've come from."

Eunbi adjusts her head to look up at the other (while Yewon tries to look somewhere else other than her face that's so close.)

"You mentioned the first day of senior year earlier. Look at how different we are now compared to then. We thought we wouldn't survive the year, but here we are— hours away from graduation." 

The older had pulled away slightly, but listened intently.

"It's hard to not think about the future. But we have to try our hardest to live in the now. To think about the good."

Eunbi pursed her lips as she tapped Yewon's waist with her thumbs that were around her. "Then I'll think about you." She brings her head down to rest on the younger's shoulder again.

"We should get to bed now. We don't want to have dark circles around our eyes in pictures, do we? And I know you might fall asleep during the ceremony," Yewon laughs.

"Okay..."

As they clean up and step back inside, Yewon almost makes her way to the front door. 

"Where are you going?" Eunbi asks, face barely visible in the dark living room.

"...to my place. Where else?" 

"I thought we were sleeping in my room."

"Oh... do you want me to?" Yewon asks hesitantly.

"Of course I do."

"...okay. I will."

---

"Eunbi! Is Yewon in there with you?" her mother knocks. 

Eunbi's eyes snap open at the noise, immediately looking around. She sees Yewon had already gotten up and opened the door, chuckling with Mother Hwang. 

"We'll start getting ready." Yewon turns back and sees Eunbi sitting up, rubbing her eyes. "Hey. So, I'm gonna head back up to get ready. I'll see you at the school." She smiles at the sight of Eunbi being half awake. She gets caught off guard when the older opens her arms, asking for a hug like a little kid. Laughing awkwardly, she heads over and gives her what she wants.

After a few light pats, they pull away and bid each other goodbye. The moment Eunbi shuts the door, she laughs to herself. 

Finally graduating high school.

Leaving behind the most formative years of their lives.

Doing it together with her best friend. 

She loves Yewon so much.

"Eunbi, I've finished steaming your uniform. Go shower," her mom tells her.

After zooming through her morning routine, she looks in the mirror as she straightens her blazer. 

The last time she's going to wear it. 

She takes a deep breath as she scans over the details of her skirt, blouse, vest, blazer, and tie. 

She doesn't miss the enamel pin on her lapel. A little paper airplane that Yewon had given her on her birthday. She wonders if the younger is wearing it too. 

"Ready?" her father calls out.

She huffs one last time and runs a hand through her hair. "Yeah. I'm ready."

---

Weaving through the crowd, Eunbi reaches out behind her. When she takes a hold of Yewon's arm, she pulls her closer towards her. 

The ceremony wasn't too long. But given her attention span, Eunbi got sick of it right after she received her diploma. Her friend constantly pinched her whenever she would groan quietly. She could've ran out of the room once it was over, but they sat at the front. And Yewon's slow. 

But it was nice to quickly talk to some classmates and teachers. Some even asked for a picture with her.

Eunbi spots her family together with Yewon's, but almost stops in her tracks when she sees a tall figure amongst them. 

"Sojung unnie! You made it!" Yewon runs and crashes into her older sister's big hug. 

"Of course I did. There's no way I would miss this." She giggles and squishes the younger's cheeks. Raising her head, she catches someone's eyes. "Hwang Eunbi! There she is!"

The said girl glares at her playfully, but accepts the hug anyway. Yewon mentally sighs at the sight, especially with how her best friend had started blushing.

Sojung pulls away and firmly pats her shoulders, as if she was an elderly man reuniting with an old friend. "Congratulations. To both of you."

"Let's go get some food now," Eunbi's brother suggests.

After the buffet (courtesy of the Kim parents), they headed home for a change of clothes, then got on a bus to the amusement park. 

"I haven't been in so long. It's been like six or seven years I think, since I've last been." Yewon bounces in her seat while latching on to the other's arm, trying to contain her excitement.

"Wanna know something?" Eunbi says with a smirk. "My dad gave me his card. We can buy anything! Let's go get matching headbands! And multiple churros!"

Yewon raises an eyebrow at that, but still laughs at Eunbi's naughty antics. 

They feel the bus slow to a stop, and jump out of their seats to step out. They giggle with their hands clasped all the way to the entrance.

When they get to the gift shop, Eunbi tells Yewon to wait outside. 

As she waits, she looks up at the clear sky. She feels the gentle sun on her skin, and breathes in the cold air. 

She's going to do it today. 

She's going to confess. 

Yewon thought about all the pros, cons, risks, possible outcomes, embarrassing scenarios, etc. 

But if today marks their first day of a new journey, might as well take a leap of faith.

The faith being that they'll still be friends and that Eunbi wouldn't hate her for time and all eternity.

"Here!" 

She snaps her head, and sees Eunbi holding up two animal ear headbands: one being a panda, and the other being a cat. Obviously.

"This one is yours." 

Yewon didn't know which one was put on her head, but figures it out when she sees Eunbi now with panda ears at the top of her head. 

"...You're the panda?" she asks while the soft fur of the cat ears.

"Of course I am. Why would I be the cat?" Eunbi scoffs. "Let's go!"

Yewon mutters under her breath, "Well, I beg to differ..." as she gets dragged along.

"Carousel first!"

The carousel line is always the shortest. With the amount of horses there are on the ride, and how short it is, it's always a good first stop. 

Eunbi helps Yewon up onto the taller horse, while she sits on the shorter one beside her. The older takes multiple pictures on her phone and camera, while the latter brings out her Polaroid to take a solo picture of Eunbi. 

As the sun began to set, they headed to the ferris wheel. 

The view is truly amazing. With the sun on the horizon, the city lights beginning to turn on, and the quiet atmosphere within their cab, they stared out the glass planes.

"So pretty..." Yewon says in awe.

"Very." Eunbi purses her lips as she slowly moves her hand towards the other's.

"Hm?" she hums, asking with her eyes. 

The older gently clasps their hands, and brings it up to her lips, laying a kiss on the back of it.

Yewon's cheeks warm, and her eyebrow twitches in confusion. "W-what was that?"

"Are you not okay with that?" Eunbi asks innocently. "I just thought it would be okay... y'know... since we're dating now."

"Wh-what?!" 

Yewon flinches, letting go of the other's hand. She's not sure what face she's making right now, but Eunbi's small smile turned into a frown.

After a few frozen moments, Eunbi suddenly slaps her own forehead. "OOOOHHHH! That's what I forgot to do!" She chuckles to herself and stands up in the middle. She takes a deep breath and clasps her hands together in front of her.

"Kim Yewon. Throughout the years I have known you, I've developed a strong feeling for you. I don't know if I can call it love yet, but I do know I love you as a person. You're my best friend. You always know the right thing to say and do. And I hope I could continue to be by your side. Will you be my girlfriend?"

Eunbi fiddles with her thumbs as she waits for an answer or reaction. She holds her breath subconsciously, and looks into Yewon's eyes, searching.

The younger bursts into laughter, dropping her head into her hands. She gets up from her seat and stands in front of Eunbi, laughs fading into happy sighs. "You... are the silliest person I've ever met." She gently holds Eunbi's head in her hands. "And here I was thinking you would reject me."

Eunbi's eyebrows droop, a sign she's not so sure of what she's hearing. 

"I like you too, Hwang Eunbi. A lot. I want to be your girlfriend." She exclaims it with watery eyes, lips unable to stop smiling. 

The other's frown quickly grows into a big smile, eyes turning into crescents. She giggles, and wraps her arms around Yewon's waist, picking her up as they dissolve into the warmth of the hug.

"This is real, right?" Yewon asks, pinching her cheek. 

"I don't know." Eunbi shrugs, then also pinches her own cheek. "Feels real to me." She chuckles and plants a kiss on the other's forehead. "Is that okay?"

Yewon smiles and returns the kiss. "Most definitely."

---

"I really thought I already confessed to you last night."

"Yeah, you definitely did not. I can't believe this entire day, you thought we were official." Yewon shakes her head, sighing in disbelief. She feeds Eunbi a piece of meat while the latter focused on grilling.

"I think it was just in my dream last night. Waking up with you in my room didn't help either."

Yewon hums as she prepares a lettuce wrap for the other, but gets interrupted by a thought.

"I need to ask you something though."

"Sure."

"I genuinely thought you had a crush on my sister," she asks with full attention on Eunbi. 

"Your question?"

"Why did it seem that way? You used to only come over when she was there. You blush whenever she's around. You act all awkward with her, AND you never give a direct answer whenever I would ask you if you liked her." Yewon folds her arms in front of her chest, slightly upset at the things she just enumerated. 

Eunbi simply chuckles as she finishes grilling the meat. After putting it on a plate, she then fully gazes at her girlfriend. 

"I'll say this first to get it out of the way: Sojung unnie is very pretty. I'm not saying you're not pretty! There are just times when I look at her and see a very mature woman." When Yewon raises an eyebrow, she realizes she has to say more to that. "But you're a cute baby in my eyes. Remember. I like you," she defends. 

"And second, Sojung unnie literally lived in your house. Of course she would be there whenever I come over."

"...that actually makes more sense," Yewon mutters, embarrassed.

"Third, do you realize how scary your sister is? That woman has been threatening me since day one, saying that if I did anything to you, she would not hesitate to punish me." Eating a piece of tofu, she also feeds one to the other. "You never see it, but she always whispers in my ear. Like today when she hugged me, she said 'Don't forget.' Of course I would get flustered at that." 

She takes a gulp of water before smiling cynically. "But the last part? I just do that to mess with you."

Yewon gasps in betrayal, while Eunbi laughs at her reaction. "Eunbi! What the heck! Why would you do that?!"

"I had no idea if you liked me back, but it was funny to see you stress over it. Obviously, you knew I wasn't supposed to like Sojung unnie, because that would be really awkward considering we're best friends."

Yewon sighs as she finally understands. "We should've talked about this a long time ago."

"Where's the fun in that?"

---

Back on Eunbi's balcony, they had set it up exactly how it was the previous night— except this time, their bodies are huddled together with blankets around them and on them as they stared out at the city. 

"Do we tell our parents?" Yewon asks, head resting on the other's shoulder.

"Oh, they know."

"What?"

"I told my parents my plans. Why do you think my mom knew you slept over?"

The younger blinks. "What about mine?" 

"I ask for permission before doing things." Eunbi turns her head slightly to look down at the other. "And I needed to know if I was good enough for you. Who else to ask better than your parents?" She rubs Yewon's arm when she hears her sniffle.

"Thank you, Eunbi."

The older holds out her pinky finger. "Here's to the next step."

Yewon exhales and melts more into the other's hold. Lacing her pinky with her's, she smiles. "To the next step."

"Together."

So this was kind of a random idea I had since I also recently graduated from high school (no this is not based on my own experience sadly)

I saw someone tweet that whenever there's a story with Sinb in the ship, it's always centered around her and it's so true 😭 so I actually tried to center this around Yewon but I failed miserably bcs they're two halves of a pair! Both are needed.

Let me know what you thought about this umb one shot!! Leave a comment below, or send me a message 

On Twitter @eunbigemini 

Curiouscat @hwangbeast 

Thanks for reading!