A/N: Hey, everyone! Like most of my writing ventures, I underestimated how long this story would be. This chapter is not the last chapter. Depending how things go, there might be one or two more chapters left in this fic. I apologize for the long hiatus, but I hope this chapter will bring you some joy. Thank you for your patience once again, and happy readings!

SinB dreaded opening her eyes that Saturday morning. How did she know it was already morning? Well, ever since the breakup (and perhaps several weeks before that) she would spend her Friday nights drinking until she reached inebriation (on the floor, convinced she could recite the alphabet backwards in under a minute type of inebriation). Sometimes, she was with the company of one or two friends. But in the most recent weeks, she felt best to wrangle with her emotions in solitude. That way she wouldn’t feel so guilty about bringing up the same baggage related to the same guy who gave her the same problems. It was the same story week after week, and SinB knew her friends were getting sick of it. Just like how SinB was getting sick of waking up on the weekends with a monstrous hangover. 

Though her eyelids were shut, SinB could already sense the rays of sunshine creeping through her bedroom curtains. She threw an arm over her eyes wanting to stay in her black abyss a bit longer. But then a thought suddenly came to her. Hadn’t Yerin come over to her apartment last night? SinB searched through her cobweb-shrouded memories of the night before. Yerin, inviting herself over without a single text message to alert her. Yerin, persuading SinB to delete all remnants of her ex off her phone. Yerin, baking a cake and looking really cute in that pink apron she had lent her. Yerin, having the bright idea of using to clean off SinB’s ice cream-covered fingers. 

SinB’s eyes shot wide open as she sprung forward in her bed. Immediately, she hissed at the subdued sun rays like a vampire while the temples of her head throbbed non-stop. But that only seemed to open the floodgates from last night even wider. 

The two of them watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Yerin revealing that she had a crush in high school whom she kept an absolute secret from everyone. SinB unable to take her eyes off of Yerin through a lengthy portion of the movie. SinB uttering “beautiful” upon Yerin’s blissfully ignorant ears. Yerin getting up to fetch her phone. SinB catching a whiff of Yerin’s cherry vanilla body wash. Text messages from an unknown girl on Yerin’s phone. A heaviness settling at the bottom of SinB’s stomach. The bitterness of tequila submerging SinB’s taste buds. Beauty influencer? Baking instructor? Yoga instructor? Flying yoga instructor? 

“Damn it, drunk Eunbi,” SinB cursed at herself. “Why did you have to stoop so low?”

SinB cringed at herself. At her behavior. Sure, she had been drinking and lost control of her inhibitions. But why did she feel so compelled to ramble off her friend’s exes like a grocery list? Her mind was spinning in a carousel of guilt that was revolving at least five times faster than its normal speed. SinB closed her eyes and began massaging her temples in slow circles. Taking a long breath through , she noticed how dry her tongue felt. Lethargically, she scooted to the edge of the mattress, opened her eyes with caution, and realized that there was a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin waiting for her on her bedside table. 

SinB’s first instinct was to laugh because of course Yerin was thoughtful enough to save her from having to suffer through a morning’s migraine after a night of binge drinking. Reaching for the glass, SinB took several refreshing gulps, quenching her thirst and sending relief to her parched mouth. She then uncapped the bottle of aspirin, shaking out one pill before swallowing it without any hesitation. She took a couple more sips of water for good measure. SinB was surprised at how much better she was feeling already. It was quite miraculous. Still, she decided to lay back in bed for a while longer, trying to recollect any other memories from her “girls-night-in” spectacle with Yerin. 

“But I just hope that one day you’ll be able to open up to the prospect of a special someone,” SinB remembered saying to her friend. “Someone who joins in on your silly antics… Someone who appreciates your cooking… Someone who helps you during your spring cleaning sprees…They need to be someone who sees how amazing you, Jung Yerin, truly are.”

“Just tell her you’re in love with her, why don’t cha?” SinB said aloud, shoving her hands in her hair, appalled that she had been so vulnerable (and arguably too sappy for her taste) in front of Yerin. 

The crazy thing was she knew that she wouldn’t have taken back a single word. Everything SinB had told Yerin at that moment came from the deep confines of her heart. 

If she meant what she said last night, then what about the words she had just spoken to an empty room?

“Oh my God,” SinB breathed out. “I’m in love with Yerin.”

As if stunned by her own epiphany, SinB fell back onto her bed, arms sprawled out and legs dangling off the edge. She stared at the ceiling and realized that the metallic Shinbi’s Apartment balloons had somehow floated their way into her room. That damn green, cartoon goblin smiling back at her. SinB grabbed the nearest pillow, placed it over her face and screamed. Once she got it out of her system, she chucked the pillow out of her vicinity and sat up. 

It wasn’t that SinB was disgusted by the prospect that she may be head over heels in love with her friend. In fact, she felt oddly relieved. But with everything that SinB managed to remember from last night, she worried if Yerin would even return her feelings. 

Out of nowhere, SinB was swarmed with a new recollection from last night’s debauchery. It was after their impromptu soirée around the living room. They toppled into the couch. After weeks of crying over her ex, SinB felt at peace for once. She couldn’t help but close her eyes, comforted by the warmth of Yerin’s body lying next to her. She must’ve drifted off to dreamland for a bit. When she opened her eyes, SinB was unsure if what she was seeing was real or a mirage constructed by her sleep-deprived imagination. But there was Yerin, looking at SinB, her beautiful face just a breath away. Was she dreaming? At that moment in time, she didn’t care. With alcohol still flowing through her veins, SinB decided to be daring, testing the limits of this supposed fantasy. 

“Yerin, can you kiss me?”

SinB nearly jumped out of bed like a cat that had been drenched by a bucket of water. She began pacing back and forth, massaging the bridge of her nose while silently cursing to herself. For some reason, she couldn’t remember Yerin’s response, and part of her didn’t want to know. Mortified didn’t even begin to describe how SinB was feeling. Halting her anxiety-fueled pacing, SinB stood in front of her door about to pound her forehead on it when she heard the muffled sounds of music coming from the other side. 

♪ Do you love me? (Yes!)

Are you going to love me? (Yes!)

Only you can be my healer~ ♪

Eyebrows flexing in confusion, SinB slowly turned the door knob and peeked out of the one-inch gap. The source of the music became clear, undoubtedly playing from her stereo system in the living room. Holding in her breath, SinB crept out of her bedroom to investigate. Tiptoe by tiptoe, she tread softly through the hallway before hiding behind the wall that merged into the kitchen. She craned her neck from the edge of the wall and spotted Yerin, her back turned away and occupied with reading the lyric section of the Day6 album in her hands.

SinB was dangerously close to letting out a shriek. She quickly placed a hand over to subdue the urge. For good measure, she took one more peek over her shoulder. Surely enough, it was indeed Yerin surrounded in the warm glow of natural light coming through the windows. From the way the light was capturing her and the small smile forming on her face as the song transitioned to its chorus, Yerin looked like the epitome of sunshine. Before she could fall into a deeper daze, SinB shook her head and scurried back to her room as silently as her feet allowed her to. Once inside her safe haven, she carefully closed the door until the faintest of clicks could be heard. 

What was Jung Yerin, one of her closest friends since high school and now apparent mega crush, still doing in her apartment?

SinB panted, trying to calm down her galloping heart. Her bewildered eyes landed on her reflection of the full length mirror across the room and almost comically bulged at the sight of her post-drunk appearance. Her face, particularly her cheeks and under her eyes, were puffy. Her hair seemed to defy gravity as it stuck out in all sorts of directions. And her pajamas were misshapen and skewed as if she had gotten into a fist fight with the bed sheets. With a sudden rush of urgency, she raced towards the mirror, grabbing the nearest hair brush off her vanity table, and set forth with detangling her jet black tresses. 

There is no way I’m going out there looking like this in front of Yerin, SinB thought in the midst of viciously combing out a stubborn knot. 

As the thought marinated a bit longer, though, SinB’s haphazard brushing began to slow down until her hand froze in the air mid-. 

“What am I doing?” SinB exhaled, staring at herself helplessly.

She knew that if she had left her room looking like she did in her reflection, Yerin wouldn’t even bat an eyelash. In their many years of friendship, Yerin has seen SinB at her worst, her best, and everything in between. Heck, the poor girl practically had a front row seat when SinB was in the beginning stages of pitifully pining for her ex. But things are different now. No longer did SinB feel comfortable with presenting this unflattering image of herself in front of Yerin. She needed to at least apply some effort in making a good impression. Because after what she remembered putting Yerin through last night, SinB had to prove that she was worthy enough of crossing that boundary and potentially being more than just a friend. 

SinB resumed her brushing until she was mildly pleased with her hair. She straightened out her sweatshirt and fixed up her bed, giving herself a few more minutes to work up some inner-courage. Standing in front of the door, SinB grabbed the handle, took in a deep breath, and opened it, fully facing the music.  

Walking out of her room, SinB tried her best to act natural, swinging her arms and putting on a face of indifference. But with each step she took towards the older girl, the more she felt awkward and nervous. As she approached Yerin, who still had her back turned and was cutely bobbing her head to the beat of the song, SinB willed her arms to stop moving before swallowing the lump in . 

“This is one of my favorite tracks off the album,” SinB spoke, hoping that it sounded casual enough. 

Yerin jolted a bit in surprise. She swiftly spun around to meet SinB. A warm, slightly embarrassed smile instantly bloomed on her face. 

“SinB-ah!” Yerin happily addressed her friend. “How are you feeling? I hope the music didn’t wake you.” 

“It’s ok, the music was no bother,” SinB assured. “I’m feeling a lot better compared to my past post-drinking mornings. Thanks for the medicine, by the way.”

Yerin humbly nodded with a small smile, accepting the gratitude. An intermission of unspoken words followed quickly afterwards. Thankfully, the music helped mask the cumbersome silence in the air.

“Not that I mind, but I figured you would’ve left already,” SinB admitted. 

“And leave my bestest buddy to deal with her hangover alone?” Yerin charmingly refuted. 

A moderately flustered chuckle escaped SinB’s mouth as she looked shyly at the ground. It was becoming increasingly difficult to meet Yerin’s eyes directly. 

“Well, I could’ve handled it on my own. But I guess if it wasn’t for you then I’d still be stuck in bed, cursing at myself and the world,” SinB replied. 

“In that case, at least now you get to enjoy the perks of a delicious breakfast.” Yerin grinned in merriment. “I made coffee and took the liberty of whipping up some kimchi scrambled eggs in case you were hungry.”

She even cooked for me? SinB thought. How the heck can I resist not developing a crush on her now?

SinB didn’t know how she failed to notice the appetizing aroma that swirled about in her apartment the first time she left her bedroom. Perhaps her mind was too distracted with a certain life-changing realization that all other senses had ceased to function properly. But there it was, the unmistakable smell of food that her tastebuds couldn’t wait to consume. 

“You’re a lifesaver,” SinB semi-joked.

Yerin’s eyes mirrored the exuberant smile on her face as she grabbed SinB by the hand and led her to the kitchen. SinB was a bit taken aback by the forward gesture, sending a newfound heat rising in her cheeks. She felt Yerin’s thumb caressing the palm of her hand with each step, making her heart flutter even more than when the older girl had used as a wet wipe to remove the ice cream off her fingers. SinB both despised and delighted in the way her body instinctively responded. 

Yerin guided SinB all the way to the kitchen table, pulling up a chair for her to sit. While Yerin bustled to the coffee pot, SinB surveyed the table to see that there weren’t only the kimchi scrambled eggs present but also scallion pancakes and freshly cooked white rice. Quickly, she tried to suppress a growl from her stomach. 

“How do you like your coffee again?” Yerin asked, holding SinB’s favorite Gryffindor-themed mug. 

SinB snapped out of her food stupor. “Oh, just bring out the new hazelnut creamer from the fridge.” 

Yerin complied, placing the mug of black coffee on the table near SinB before coming back with the bottle of creamer. She took a seat in front of SinB who began to help herself to the food, excitably clicking her metal chopsticks together. Yerin bit back a smile and directed her focus on removing the foil seal off the spout of the bottle. The task had proved to be more difficult than what Yerin anticipated. Due to her shortly trimmed nails, there was barely any way for her to pinch at the tiny sliver of foil. She brought the bottle close to her eye-level, picking at the sealed spout without much success at tearing it open. Sensing a disturbance, SinB looked up Yerin who continued to prod, brows knitted in frustration. She shook her head in amusement before setting down her chopsticks. 

“Here, Unnie, let me help you with that,” SinB offered. 

Somewhat begrudgingly, Yerin handed over the bottle. SinB barely even inspected it before removing the seal in one easy breezy pull. 

Yerin gawked, eyes darting down at the table sheepishly. “Thanks,” she mumbled. 

“You were never good at peeling off the foil from these types of containers, even since high school,” SinB commented, pouring the creamer into her coffee with a self-satisfied smirk. She raised her mug to her lips, taking a sip.

“It’s mostly because I like to keep my nails short,” Yerin replied.

SinB almost spit out her coffee. There was a pregnant pause in their conversation. Yerin’s forehead creased in confusion over why SinB was acting so strangely when the implications of her manicure preferences soon dawned on her. Eyebrows now disappearing into her bangs, Yerin fumbled for a PG-rated reasoning.

“For when I bake,” Yerin hastily replied. “It’s easier to knead the dough.”

“I bet,” SinB said, setting down her mug. Letting the risque subject matter go, she focused on her meal, breaking off some of the kimchi scramble egg and pairing it with the rice before consuming the delicious spoonful. 

“But,” Yerin piped up, a certain apprehension nipping at her voice, “it’s also because I always had you around to come to my rescue.”

There was a softness in the older girl’s cadence that SinB was not accustomed to. She glanced at Yerin whose gaze bashfully darted downward into her own coffee cup. It was a bit unusual, but SinB decided to disregard the anomaly in favor of a lighthearted reply. 

“Just imagine all those yogurt and Yakult bottles you wouldn’t be able to consume without my help.”

Yerin giggled, nodding in agreement. “To show my appreciation, I would like to humbly return to you your phone. Congratulations for surviving a full twelve plus hours without it.”

Yerin reached into her pocket, unveiling SinB’s iPhone that was kept in her care. Handing it over, SinB accepted it with some reluctance. For a moment, it was as if she had forgotten the existence of smartphones. Being with Yerin made the gadget seem trivial. And though she would rather get back to eating her breakfast and chatting with Yerin, old habits were hard to break. The next thing she knew, she was holding down the buttons to power it on. A few seconds later, she was staring at her Lock Screen, littered with notifications. She tapped on a text message from her mom, asking her if she had eaten dinner yet and to remember to buy a present for her grandma’s birthday next week on Wednesday. SinB slightly rolled her eyes. Of course I will, Umma.

She went back to check her unread text messages and saw several from her friend/ co-worker, Son Eunseo. 

8:46 pm: SinB-ah! I’m at the park with Bona right now and guess who we saw???

8:47 pm: Mr. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named cuddling up with the intern!!!! 

8:47 pm: It almost spoiled our date 🤢🤮

8:55 pm: DO NOT OPEN INSTAGRAM! I REPEAT DO NOT OPEN INSTAGRAM! ❌🙅🏻‍♀️

Eunseo then sent SinB a screenshot of the ex’s Instagram story post, featuring a selfie of him and the intern. But she had edited the picture to cover up their faces with a block of text that read, “Oh look, it’s Ken and barely legal Barbie.” 

Scrolling down once more, SinB discovered that Eunseo had sent an additional photo. This time it was a selfie of her and her girlfriend, Kim Bona, shielding their eyes with an exaggerated expression of disgust. 

SinB quietly laughed to herself. In any other circumstance, she would’ve gladly joined in her friend’s diatribe against her ex, possibly playing along and sending a selfie of repulsion of her own. But the malice she had towards her ex was becoming old news. No longer did she want to exert any more energy on him, especially with Yerin present. Deciding to reply to her mom and Eunseo later, she placed her phone on the table, screen side down, and picked up a scallion pancake to munch on. 

“Are we under siege of an alien invasion?” Yerin joked, noting SinB’s jovial change in demeanor. 

“Not yet,” she teased back, biting into her pancake and grinning as she chewed. 

Yerin smiled, grabbing her Hogwarts mug with both hands and taking a drink. As the two basked in the tranquility of that Saturday morning, SinB’s eyes subtly wandered over to Yerin. The older girl looked far from haggard compared to SinB when she first woke up. No bed head. No smeared makeup. It made SinB wonder if Yerin really did stay overnight. 

Clearing , SinB couldn’t help but ask, “Where did you sleep last night?”

“On the couch,” Yerin replied. “I figured you would be more comfortable in your bed, so I carried you there when I noticed that you had fallen asleep during the movie. You were sleeping quite soundly. Did you have any sweet dreams?”

“Oh, yes. I dreamt that I was dancing with Hermione at the Yule Ball. But instead of Emma Watson’s face, it was swapped with Viktor Krum’s shark head. You’ll be surprised at how attractive I found it.” They both shared a laugh at the absurd, yet comical mental image. “How about you?”

“Not really,” Yerin responded with a shake of her head. “Actually, I didn’t get much sleep.”

You should’ve slept with me, SinB wanted to say. But thank goodness was full in that moment before she could utter that extremely embarrassing sentiment. Instead, she reached for her coffee, hoping that the rush of caffeine would dispel her flustered feelings. 

“It wasn’t because of the couch,” Yerin assured. “My mind felt like it was awake the whole night. Maybe it was on a sugar crash from all the s’mores and cake I ate.” 

Although SinB wanted to join Yerin in her amusement, she couldn’t ignore the fact that there were still missing pieces from her memory of the night before. Furthermore, the memories of her actions that she did manage to conjure up were so cringe-inducing that SinB was surprised that Yerin had chosen to stay for this long. She needed to know the rest of her faux pas, and she hoped Yerin would be honest enough to respond truthfully. 

“Yerin-ah,” SinB timidly addressed her friend, “about our girls-night-in, did I do anything that made you feel… uncomfortable?”

Yerin straightened her posture. “You don’t remember everything that happened?”

“Well, I remember sections of it. Mostly the moments before I began drinking the tequila like it was water. But, I feel like some memories are a bit hazy.” 

SinB watched in trepidation as Yerin pressed her lips together, the gears in her brain rewinding to last night. She tried to distract herself with her food, but she feared that her stomach wouldn’t cooperate with all the anxiety circulating through her body. Yerin, on the other hand, was taking her sweet time as she stared at the ceiling as if watching a play-by-play on an invisible projector. With each second that passed, SinB’s heart felt like it was being gripped tighter and tighter. At any moment, it was going to burst like a balloon. 

SinB was going to do it. She was going to ask Yerin about the moment when she told the older girl to kiss her. It had got to be the reason why Yerin was taking so long to answer. Because she didn’t have the courage to tell SinB that she only thinks of her as a friend. As much as it pained her to do so, she might as well get it over with and face the inevitable heartbreak. 

“Yerin, is this about the time when I —“

“Other than pulling out my receipt of exes…” Yerin spoke, cutting off SinB, “no, you didn’t do anything that made me feel uncomfortable.” 

“Really?” SinB, eyes wide, asked incredulously. 

“Really,” responded Yerin calmly. 

“That’s it?”

“Well, it was kind of hurtful at the time.”

“Right! I’m sorry about that.” 

“It’s fine. Forgive and forget.”

If only everything was that simple, SinB thought. 

The younger woman was in a twine. On one hand, she wanted to mention about her “Kiss me” request. But after Yerin’s reply, SinB was beginning to question if it even happened at all. The moment had felt too real to be a dream. Heck, she could still recall the warmth of Yerin’s breath caressing her skin. SinB’s mind was in a whirlwind, and she knew the only way out of it was to either go through the motions of humiliation and ask about it or just convince herself that it was a figment of her drunken imagination. It was way too early in the day to risk vulnerability. Though her heart incessantly urged her to go with the first choice, SinB ultimately backed down and went with the latter. 

“You feeling alright, SinB-ah?” 

It was then that SinB realized that she had been staring into space, or more so, at the red lipstick imprint on Yerin’s coffee mug. On full alert, SinB sat upright and shot a well-meaning smile at Yerin whose face was warped with concern. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking about my dream. I suddenly remembered that you were in it.”

Intrigued, Yerin tilted her head. “I was?”

“You were at the ball, as well, dressed in this puffy, yellow gown. And your date was Harry Potter. But instead of Daniel Radcliffe’s face, it was swapped with his pet Hedwig’s little owl head.” 

******

Energized and revitalized after her breakfast, SinB set her sights on the one thing she usually puts off: cleaning up. Yerin, of course, offered to help by putting the leftovers away while SinB washed the dishes. In the midst of their tidying, the two conversed some more about random topics, including how they were both excited for the debut of K-pop’s much anticipated girl group, VIVIZ. 

Every so often, though, SinB would catch Yerin in her peripheral, carrying tupperware containers to the fridge. Once the older woman took care of that task, she stood beside SinB, waiting for a pot or pan to pass her way to dry. SinB couldn’t deny how natural the scene was for her. It was as if Yerin had lived in her apartment all this time, like she belonged there… like she belonged with SinB. The young woman rolled her eyes at how her heart immediately beated faster at the simple thought of it. 

“I still can’t believe you think she’s your long lost twin sister,” Yerin said, on the topic of VIVIZ.  She leaned her back against the kitchen counter, waiting for her friend to finish up at the sink. “Sure, her stage name is the same as your nickname. Sure, the two of you share the same birthday. And sure, if I squint my eyes and turn my head to the side, you sort of have an uncanny resemblance to her. But, I don’t know, I just don’t see how you could be related to her.”

SinB spun around, agitated at how no one in her friend circle was sane enough to admit that she and the K-pop idol were practically identical. “You know what else VIVIZ’s SinB and I have in common? We can both dance circles around a fool like you.”

She flicked her fingers, dripping with water and soap suds, in Yerin’s direction, causing the older woman to flinch before fleeing to the living room in retreat. SinB chuckled as she grabbed a towel to properly dry her hands.

“Well well well,” Yerin sing-songed, brushing off the droplets from her arms and clothes. “StingB strikes again.”

“StingB?” SinB scoffed in amusement. “I thought that nickname died in high school.”

“Some things from high school are hard to completely get rid of,” Yerin retorted. 

SinB quirked an eyebrow, noting the sudden ominous shift in her friend’s tone. Yerin, though, allowed the sentence to drift into the air as she turned her attention to her purse, rummaging through it. She took out her phone and tapped on the screen to check the time. 

“Omo, it’s almost noon!” Yerin yelped, eyes widened at the realization. “I guess I kind of overstayed my welcome, haven’t I?”

“At least, I was able to reap some benefits out of it. My breakfast is set for the rest of next week.” SinB smiled smugly.

Yerin breathed out a giggle as she gathered up her things to go. Standing at a respectable distance from her friend, SinB picked up a pillow from the couch and began fidgeting with its decorative tassels, trying to not let the onset feeling of loneliness get to her. She enjoyed spending time with Yerin as much as she enjoyed spending time with any of her friends. But it wasn’t just loneliness gnawing at her, it was also longing. Longing to be with Yerin. Longing to step out of the barriers of friendship into new, yet exciting territory. Longing for Yerin to fulfill SinB’s request of kissing her. But first and foremost, she needed to know if Yerin would even reciprocate her feelings. And the least productive way of figuring that out was to sit around home alone all day. 

“Hey, Yerin-ah,” SinB spoke, a sense of nervousness forming in the pit of her stomach. Yerin, who was putting on her jacket, looked up at SinB, giving her full attention. With all her might, SinB forced herself to maintain eye contact and behave as if her heart wasn’t doing jumping jacks. “If you’re not busy today, do you wanna hang out later? Go out and grab a bite to eat?”

“Like around dinner time?” Yerin asked, slinging the strap of her crossbody bag over her shoulder. 

“I was thinking more of a late lunch,” SinB shyly clarified. “The weather’s really nice today, and I could use the fresh air.”

“I have some errands to take care of, but I should be free later on. Just text me the time and place of where you want to meet up and I’ll be there.”

Yerin started walking to the front door with SinB tailing close by. 

“Will do. Thanks again for everything, Yerin-ah. I hope you’re not getting tired of me,” SinB added half-jokingly, half-worried that Yerin might actually be getting tired of her. 

“Don’t be silly. I could never get tired of you, SinB-ah. Whenever you need me, I’m your girl.” 

Yerin’s face blossomed, forming into that famous eye smile of hers. Crescent-shaped eyelids. Buoyant cheeks reminiscent of steamed buns. Lips stretching so wide that her teeth happily made an appearance. SinB stared at her in a daze.

Turning away to open the door, Yerin stood at the threshold. “See you later,” she added with a pat on SinB’s arm before closing the door. 

SinB ambled to the couch. She took a seat on the armrest, grabbed that same decorative pillow, hugging it tightly, and leaned her body backwards until gravity could no longer carry her, sending her crashing into the cushions. She laid there in silence, processing the myriad of events and emotions she experienced in the past twenty-four hours that led to the realization that she had fallen in love with her friend. But there was something that Yerin said before she left that kept interrupting SinB’s daydream. 

“I’m your girl,” SinB whispered. “Why does that sound so familiar?” 

Perhaps, it was something she heard in passing  between co-workers or dialogue coming from a movie or a drama. But the more she contemplated it, the more she convinced herself that those three words were somehow directed to her. But in what way? What was the context? What was the reason? 

SinB turned to her side and closed her eyes, huffing out an irritated sigh. It couldn’t just be an annoying case of deja vu. She continued to lay still, making it her mission to figure out a probable answer before it drove her crazy. Weekend laziness combined with the residual tiredness from her hangover almost coaxed SinB into an afternoon nap. But right before she could, a new memory from last night invaded her thoughts.

“Yerin, do you think you could ever fall in love with me?” she recalled asking her friend, eyes on the verge of tears.

“Would you believe me if I say that I already have?” Yerin responded much to SinB’s surprise. 

Like firecrackers, the memories continued to materialize in SinB’s psyche with a vibrant burst. Each recollection simultaneously shocking her and causing palpitations in her heart. 

“Those messages were from the beauty influencer… I kept wondering why I put myself through these unfulfilling relationships… to fill a void… make myself useful… 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… Maybe you’ll never return my feelings… maybe when the morning comes, you won’t remember… 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.” 

Oh… My… GAWD.

SinB’s eyes snapped wide open. She sprang forward, almost tumbling off the couch in the process. These recovered memories were as clear as day, opening the door to new possibilities in her and Yerin’s relationship. Yet, after all that happened this morning, SinB felt confused as ever. 

A/N: Congratulations to Eunha, SinB, and Umji on their re-debut!!! Stream “BOP BOP!" VIVIZ, Fighting! 🦋