“VIKTOR KRUM MORPHED INTO A SHARK TO SAVE HERMIONE!”

“SinB-ah, that’s like the tenth time you’ve said that over the course of this movie. And we’re only an hour in.” 

SinB and Yerin were in the living room watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which was perhaps SinB’s favorite installment in the movie franchise and a go-to comfort watch. Cups of ramen and the container of tteokbokki they had devoured at the start of the film were cast aside on the coffee table. The cake, now slathered in vanilla frosting and multi-colored sprinkles, was the centerpiece with a gigantic slice already cut from the corner. As for their drink of choice, SinB coddled the bottle of tequila, taking shots every so often, while Yerin sipped on a tall can of beer. 

“I know, I… know,” SinB slurred and hiccuped, squirming about on the couch. “I just love that part so much! The way his shark face chompa chompa chompas back to his own human head is so cool! The CGI effects were so ahead of their time.” 

Sitting on the floor in front of the couch, Yerin giggled, entertained by how SinB resorted to the excitability of a little kid whenever she got drunk. 

“Can we skip to that part? We should skip to that part. We’re only at the scene where Harry tries to ask Cho Chang out to the Yule Ball and it’s soooo awkward.” SinB’s hands roamed through the couch cushions, searching for the remote.

Yerin looked down at the coffee table and noticed the remote was hidden among the mess. “I actually like this part,” she piped up, not bothering to point out the remote. “It’s interesting to see Harry, the ‘boy who lived', the ‘chosen one’, go through such a human experience as getting rejected by his crush. It makes him more relatable.”

“That’s true and all,” SinB agreed, “but it’s not like you have ever been rejected by a crush.”

“I’ve never really been rejected because typically people ask me out,” Yerin clarified with a faux-pompous lilt in her cadence. “But there was one instance where I could’ve been rejected had I confessed to my crush. I was too nervous, too scared. And by the time I had finally gained the courage, she was already dating someone else.”

“No way!” SinB gasped in genuine disbelief. “When did this happen?”

Yerin hesitated, a slight look of worry flickering in her eyes. She took a large gulp of her beer as if to stall. “A long time ago. High school. I didn’t tell anyone about it, though.” 

“But you always tell us about your crushes. Heck, you even told us about your crush on the crossing guard. And that was only like a month ago.”

“Well, I was young and wanted to keep this one a secret.” 

Putting an end to the conversation, Yerin shifted away from SinB and returned her attention to the movie. SinB narrowed her eyes, practically boring holes into the back of the older girl’s head. She still couldn’t wrap her mind around how Yerin had harbored a secret crush from them for all of these years. And she also couldn’t fathom Yerin ever being nervous to confess to a crush. In her ten-plus years of knowing the older girl, SinB regarded Yerin as a confident person. Yerin never resisted the opportunity to shamelessly flirt with a potential significant other, and she knew that one flex of her infamous eye smile would make anyone melt into a pile of lovesick mush. Perhaps that confidence unraveled with age. Yerin was cute in high school (still cute now if anyone was asking), but she surely matured into her own alluring charms over the years. 

SinB tried to concentrate on the movie. But regardless of how exciting things looked on the TV screen, her eyes were held captive by Yerin’s side profile. Every smile, every frown, every laugh. A look of puzzlement, a look of surprise, a look of wonder and awe. SinB found herself mirroring those expressions. Not as an act of tomfoolery or to get on her friend’s nerves, but because she was earnestly fascinated. When she would watch movies with her ex, rarely did he show emotion. His default moods were either boredom or indifference, and that made SinB think twice about laughing too hard at the comedic bits or shedding a tear during scenes that stirred her soul. But with Yerin, she never had to worry about being herself around her. Yerin somehow made everything easy. Easygoing attitude. Easy to talk to. Easy on the eyes. 

SinB gulped. It wasn’t news that Yerin remains a ten out of ten on the attractive scale. And SinB would always casually compliment her and the rest of their friend group for their prettiness in the past. But why did it feel so different now? Why was her heart suddenly thumping in double-time whenever she caught a glimpse of Yerin’s eye smile? Why was she becoming intoxicated with each inhale of Yerin’s cherry vanilla fragrance? Why was this unknown heat rapidly circulating through every inch of her being whenever her mind wandered to that ice cream-coated moment in the kitchen earlier? 

SinB could blame it on the alcohol all she wanted, but there was no denying that Yerin was so… so…

“Beautiful,” the word escaped SinB’s lips.

“I know,” replied Yerin.

A quick jolt of sobriety fired through the synapses of SinB’s brain, urging her to sit up in a panic. “Wha-what?” 

“Hermione,” Yerin said, immersed in the movie. “She looks so beautiful in her ball gown.”

SinB looked up at the TV. They had already gotten to the part at the Yule Ball. Hermoine, hair styled in a lovely updo and wearing a dress of various shades of pink, descended down the stairs that lead to the ballroom, capturing everyone’s attention along the way. With an inconspicuous sigh of relief, SinB’s heart rate settled back to normal. 

“Yeah… stunning,” SinB hastily agreed as she cleared . She was thankful that Yerin couldn’t see her and the frazzled state she was in. “I wonder how old Emma Watson is now,” she pondered aloud, not really concerned with the actress’ age but in an attempt to throw off any suspicion. SinB reached into her pocket, only to remember the promise she made. “Damn, I forgot that I had sworn off all phone use for the night.”

Yerin rotated her head around to face SinB. “Want me to look it up on my phone? That way you won’t be technically cheating.” She grinned at her own cleverness.

SinB breathed out a giggle. “Sure, thanks.”

Getting up from the carpeted floor, Yerin walked over to the drawer where their phones were kept. She took out her phone and returned to her area in front of the couch. Holding down the respective buttons to turn it back on, Yerin waited for the apple icon to appear on the screen. After a few seconds, her lock screen wallpaper, which was a group selfie of her, SinB, and their mutual friend group, brightened the palm of her hand. But SinB, who was observing over Yerin’s shoulder, was quick to notice the slew of text message notifications that completely covered Sowon, Eunha, Yuju, and Umji’s faces. 

“Whoa, that’s a lot of messages,” SinB pointed out rather loudly, causing Yerin to immediately swivel her position away from her friend’s prying eyes. “Let me guess, it’s from the beauty influencer asking the age-old question of ‘You up?’. I bet she didn’t even spell out ‘you’ and just put the letter u.” SinB took a sip of tequila, letting the alcohol numb over her senses. 

“It's not her,” Yerin, who was busily typing on her phone, responded.

“Then, is it the baking instructor?” 

“No.”

“The yoga instructor?”

“No.”

“The flying yoga instructor.”

“It’s not any of them, I haven’t been in contact with any of them and they haven’t been in contact with me post-breakup, and Emma Watson is currently 31-years-old,” Yerin clarified in a rush before shutting off her phone and carelessly dropping it onto the coffee table. Arms folded, she stared directly at the TV, her attention locked on the movie and nothing else.

SinB shut her eyes for a moment. Her head spun from the loud thud of the phone along with the realization that she had royally screwed up. She opened her eyes, twisted the cap back on the bottle of tequila, and pushed herself off the couch and onto the floor beside Yerin. 

“I’m sorry, Yerin-ah,” SinB said, tone filled with remorse. “I took things a little too far. But you know that I was just joking, right?” She nudged Yerin’s arm, trying to lighten the mood.

Yerin glanced at SinB’s apologetic smile and simply nodded in response. SinB pressed her lips together, finding it ironic how Yerin came over to cheer her up only to end up in a state of sadness. SinB wasn’t sure if what she was about to say next was going to necessarily help Yerin feel better.

But it was what SinB had been holding back on expressing to her for a while now. 

“I worry about you sometimes, Yerin-ah,” she began, voice soft yet serious. “I know that at our age it’s fine to date around, fool around, sleep around, round around.” SinB rejoiced a bit when she heard Yerin laugh briefly. “But I just hope that one day you’ll be able to open up to the prospect of a special someone. Someone who joins in on your silly antics instead of hiding from embarrassment. Someone who appreciates your cooking instead of declining it because they’re on a diet. Someone who helps you during your spring cleaning sprees because they know the importance of maintaining a well-organized and dust-free environment. My point is, they can’t just be a pretty face with a great career. They need to be someone who sees how amazing you, Jung Yerin, truly are.”

If it weren’t for the audio of the movie, SinB would have probably been suffering in agony from Yerin’s silence. She sneaked a peek at her friend who seemed to be letting the words marinate. 

“Funny,” Yerin spoke. “Most of those qualities remind me of you.”

A nervous chuckle fluttered out of SinB’s mouth. “I guess in the Venn diagram of qualities, some traits overlap with mine.”

“To be honest, SinB-ah,” Yerin confided, “I do believe there’s a special someone for me. I just hope when the time comes, that person will be able to believe that I could be that special someone for them.”

A flash of intrigue creased the middle of SinB’s eyebrows. But it soon faded away upon realizing that Yerin was staring deeply into her eyes. Shyly, SinB’s line of view darted to her lap. It stayed there for a moment until curiosity got the best of her. Her eyes trailed back to where they started, and soon enough they were reunited with Yerin’s immutable, dark brown orbs. As much as SinB wanted to look away again, she found herself drawn into the magnetic pull of the older girl’s gaze. 

Yerin’s demeanor, unreadable as it may be, remained calm, collective. Like she had SinB where she wanted. SinB watched the corners of Yerin’s lips steadily curve upward into a closed-mouth smile, a glimpse of her teeth cutely peeking out a bit. It was one of SinB’s favorite smiles. At the same time, she felt Yerin’s hand slide into her own before clasping them together. SinB wasn’t sure what Yerin’s intentions were, but she wasn’t opposed to the progress displayed so far. She gave her friend’s hand a gentle squeeze, causing Yerin to go full-on eye smile mode which triggered more than enough serotonin for SinB to smile as well. 

“Let’s dance,” Yerin said.

By the time SinB processed the words, Yerin had already pulled themselves up on their feet. Remote control in hand, Yerin quickly increased the television’s volume by several decibels. From the whirling of orchestral strings, SinB knew exactly what scene was playing: the formal dance between the Triwizard Tournament champions and their partners. SinB caught a glimpse of the TV to confirm that she was indeed correct, chuckling at the anxious expression on Harry’s face as he tries to keep up with his date, Parvati Patil. 

Yerin, in contrast, was not the least bit nervous as she placed one hand on SinB’s waist and held her hand with the other. SinB obliged to her friend’s shenanigans, putting her hand on top of Yerin’s shoulder. Back and forth, the pair stepped in time to the whimsical tune across the living room. When the music occasionally reached its light and cheerful allegretto, Yerin would gracefully lift SinB up just like how the characters did in the film. And each time Yerin performed the move, SinB felt increasingly weightless as if the butterflies in her stomach were helping her propel off the ground. Twirling about, the two could not contain their giddiness as they laughed and smiled with pure glee. 

But the dancing didn’t stop there because the elegant atmosphere of the ball soon transformed into a rock concert with its teenage attendees thrashing like a mosh pit. Yerin and SinB emulated the same energy, jumping around, swinging their arms in the air, and bobbing to the beat. At one point, SinB grabbed a pillow and started strumming it like an electric guitar. In a single bound, she hopped onto the couch still playing her pillow guitar. Yerin climbed on top of the couch as well. Taking a hold of each other’s hands, the two friends bounced up and down like they were on a trampoline. Once the scene came to an end, SinB threw her guitar pillow in the air and kicked it, sending it flying over the coffee table as the finale.

With that, they fell back onto the couch; SinB first, followed by Yerin. SinB scooted towards the edge, making room for Yerin who occupied the sliver of space between her body and the backrest. She then tucked her hand behind her head, allowing the older girl more wiggle room. Worn out from all the excitement, the both of them just laid there, catching their breaths and letting the movie continue to play despite neither of them actually watching. SinB’s eyes stared at the ceiling where those balloons remained stationary, unable to float any higher. Yerin’s eyes, though, resided on the rise and fall of her friend’s chest. From her peripheral, Yerin observed as SinB tried to hold back a yawn only to give in to the urge a few seconds later. She smiled at the adorable way SinB's nose scrunched like a kitten. But it was clear that the younger of the two was growing sleepy as her eyelids struggled to stay open. Eventually, SinB surrendered and kept her eyes closed. 

Propping herself up on the armrest, Yerin took this opportunity to admire the young woman who she had known for a long time and secretly caught feelings for. Falling in love with a friend felt like such a cliché. But it wasn’t like Yerin could’ve prevented it from happening. It just happened. And when it dawned upon Yerin that her heart thumped differently when she was with SinB than with anyone else, she knew that their friendship would take a drastic turn if those feelings were ever revealed. So, she continued being the fun, wacky, reliable friend, playing it cool whenever their eyes would meet by chance or flirting with any girl that shows even the slightest amount of interest in her. 

Their friendship was something that Yerin valued, and she would protect it with every fiber of her being. But there were times when she couldn’t help but fantasize about a life where SinB was hers and she was SinB’s. And the fact that they were lying so close together that Yerin could feel the warmth SinB radiated made things much easier on her imagination. She pictured waking up next to SinB every morning and instantly smiling at her beau. She would the wisps of hair that covered SinB’s forehead, playfully pinch those fluffy cheeks that soften her intimidating demeanor, and wake her up with a peck on those pouty lips that Yerin would never get tired of kissing. 

Eyes blinking rapidly out of her trance, Yerin was startled to realize just how close her face was hovering above SinB’s. She knew the right thing to do was immediately lean away, but something inside her encouraged her to levitate just a little longer. Though Yerin felt like she was on Cloud 9, she recognized that even the most blissful sensations must come to an end. With a gulp, she began to pull away with the intention of settling back into a friendly distance when, without warning, SinB’s eyelids gently opened. 

Yerin froze, unsure and slightly fearful of how SinB might react to seeing her friend mere centimeters from her face. Oddly enough, SinB simply stared at her, unfazed and unbothered. 

“Yerin,” SinB softly addressed, “can you kiss me?”

Eyebrows jumping to the middle of her forehead and mouth hanging ajar, Yerin was seriously questioning her entire existence. In what world would her friend/ secret crush wake up and those four words along with her own name be the first sentence that she utters? As SinB gazed at her with those alluring orbs, Yerin considered herself the luckiest person on the planet. Yet, she also felt the need to be cautious. SinB did just spent the past hour hogging the bottle of tequila which was about three-fourths empty now. Was SinB really all there, aware of her actions? What would their future entail if she were to kiss her friend at that moment? 

Yerin was never much of a gambler. She decided the best thing to do was compromise, placing a tender kiss on SinB’s forehead. 

“Kiss me again,” SinB repeated her request, throwing her arms around Yerin’s neck.

Tempting, it was all very tempting for Yerin. If she hadn’t been drinking in moderation that night, the two of them would probably be in the throes of a passionate make-out session right now. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. Because no matter how much Yerin ached to confess her feelings to SinB, she didn’t want it to be due to the feebleness of drunken ual desire. Gathering all of her self-control, Yerin leaned in and kissed SinB’s cheek. When she pulled away, there was no doubt that SinB was growing peeved. 

“Kiss me again,” the young woman ordered, her tone aggressive and hiding a tinge of desperation. 

Yerin stared into her friend’s eyes, and the longer she did, the clearer it became that SinB wasn’t exactly seeking love. What SinB was seeking was something that Yerin provided to plenty of women in the past. Nothing serious, no commitment. Just an itch that needed to be scratched. Yerin felt like an anchor was weighing down on her heart. There was no way that she was going to let her and SinB’s relationship end up like her past relationships with the baking instructor, the yoga instructor, the flying yoga instructor, the beauty influencer, or anyone else who insisted on keeping things casual. Lowering her face, Yerin gave a peck on the opposite cheek, barely touching her skin.

“Are you trying to frustrate me?” SinB exasperated. 

“I’m not going to kiss you on the lips, SinB-ah,” Yerin calmly proclaimed. 

“Why not?”

“You’re drunk, you’re still heartbroken about your ex, and your breath reeks of alcohol.”

“So does yours!” fired SinB, shoving Yerin’s shoulder. 

“It just doesn’t feel right under these circumstances.”

Bottom lip quivering like a child whose mom refused to buy her a new toy, SinB harrumphed and turned away from the older girl. Yerin decided to climb out of the couch and settle back to her original spot on the floor. She lowered the volume of the TV as the musical score became more daunting and intense. She had no clue what was going on plot-wise in the movie nor did she really care. Part of her wanted to peek over her shoulder to check on SinB and whether she had fallen asleep again. Instead, she kept her eyes glued to the screen as her mind wandered in the fresh memories of the past couple of minutes. It was as if every molecule in her body was tingling with delight to be so close to SinB, to hear those words from SinB that she only had heard in her dreams, and to press her lips against SinB’s skin more than once. A kiss on the lips would have been too risky, and Yerin was glad that she had enough self-restraint to resist temptation. If only things were different then SinB would never have to ask twice.

“Yerin,” SinB whispered near the older girl’s ear, causing the tingling sensation to intensify unbeknownst to her, “do you think you could ever fall in love with me?”

Yerin’s heart almost burst out of her chest. Hastily, she turned around to face SinB who seemed to be waiting for her to do so. But what surprised Yerin the most was that her friend’s eyes had become clouded with unfallen tears. Was it due to the residual dejection she felt with her ex? Or, was it because Yerin had gone through great lengths to avoid giving her that affection she craved? Perhaps, it was a combination of the two. The debilitating feeling of loneliness. Yerin was accustomed to that feeling for longer than she dared to admit. A stream of hypothetical responses poured into her brain, preventing her from revealing her true emotions for SinB. But at that moment, she was confident in what she wanted to say. What needed to be said for her own sake. 

“Would you believe me if I say that I already have?”

SinB’s desolate demeanor shifted into genuine shock and disbelief. She blinked, forcing the tears to roll down her cheeks. 

Yerin took in a jittery breath before continuing. “Forgive me, SinB-ah, but I lied earlier. Those messages were from the beauty influencer. And as you predicted, she did ask me if I was still awake. Though, she did have the decency to spell out ‘you’.” A wry laugh slipped out of SinB’s mouth amidst her sniffling. Yerin placed a hand on the couch near SinB, just in case the younger girl wanted to hold it for any reason. “When you were saying all those things about me, I kept wondering why I put myself through these unfulfilling relationships. I guess to fill a void. To make myself useful. To distract myself from the gut-twisting pain I would feel whenever I saw you and him together. To fool myself into thinking that I could fall in love with any other person but you.” Yerin’s hand remained abandoned. Her heart sank, but she carried on as best as she could. “Maybe you’ll never return my feelings. And maybe when the morning comes, you won’t remember ever asking that question or hearing my reply. But I hope the one thing you’ll remember is this: I’m your girl, SinB-ah, no matter what. You can depend on me. Always. Forever.” 

With every ounce of courage left in her, Yerin dragged her line of vision from her lonesome hand to SinB’s tear-stained face. Her eyes were closed tightly and every so often a sniffle would interrupt her otherwise subdued breathing. Yerin was about to retract her hand when she spotted SinB’s own hand inching towards it, eyelids still shut. As soon as she made skin-on-skin contact, SinB grasped onto Yerin’s hand like it was her lifeline. 

“Forever…” she softly repeated before dozing off into slumber. 

A/N: I’ll let you guys in on a little secret: in the first draft of this fic, it was originally supposed to end here. Cruel, I know. Good thing I managed to come up with one more chapter that will provide a better conclusion to the story. It’s most likely going to take longer to write, but please look forward to it :)

I hope everyone’s doing well. I’m sure we’re all collectively missing GFriend and cursing at Source Music and its affiliates each day. But it’s wonderful to see that we’re still holding strong as a fandom in the face of adversity. Let’s continue to support the girls in any way possible!

And thank you, dear readers (new and long-time) for checking out this story and showing it love. I deeply and humbly appreciate it <3