seungwan absolutely doesn't wallow in sadness for the weekend. she does not miss out on homecoming festival because of joohyun either, it's just that she's tired of studying and wants to sleep in for once. it doesn't matter that the festival is a whole day attraction, she's not even involved this year with the music club, she can slack off if she wants to. she doesn't think about their moment at the nurse's office and she doesn't wonder if joohyun is okay. she does not in fact text seulgi to see if joohyun got home safe and she doesn't ask her to check up on her once in a while just in case she's still sick.

seulgi is a good friend (an actual friend, not the 'friend' that joohyun was), she takes every request like a champ and replies immediately after completing it.

joohyun is okay, she texts. still has a fever but she ate a banana just now so she's good. seulgi is going to call her again in few hours to see what she's doing.

seungwan thanks her and goes back to not-wallowing. she also notes that joohyun likes bananas for some reason even if their friendship is over, it's not every day that she gets to know what joohyun likes and doesn't like. 

she sighs. who is she kidding, of course, she's sad. she and joohyun were getting along so well recently, she felt like she got a best friend. she never had one. sooyoung and yeri are best friends and most of the time she feels like third wheeling them. now she got joohyun, she could invite her out with them and not be left out. she wouldn't feel excluded.

apparently, joohyun didn't think so.

seungwan sighs again, flipping over on the couch. she doesn't know what to do, every time she tries to do something her mind just gets overtaken by the loss of a friend. maybe she was doing a bit too much with asking for a fake relationship. maybe joohyun felt forced into it and now she couldn't hide it anymore.

"stop mopping around, go practice." sunhee pokes her with rolled-up magazine.

"i'm not mopping."

"sure, sure, you didn't get dumped either."

"i didn't!" seungwan sits up, then pauses. "well, kind of."

"i knew it was weird you were dating bae joohyun of all people."

"what is that supposed to mean?"

"nothing, don't worry about it." sunhee plops herself down beside seungwan. "so, what did you do?"

"nothing, i was caring and thoughtful and she told me to leave."

"what a weirdo." sunhee snorts.

"she's not." seungwan pushes her away. "she's really pretty," she adds quietly, just because it feels right.

"wow, you got it bad."

"i'm just worried." seungwan sighs for the nth time.

"first fights are tough but you'll get through it." she pats her knee. "or maybe you'll break up. either of the two." she adds with a giggle. 

"it's not funny, okay? i'm suffering." seungwan says, thinking of their 'friend' break up. 

it's sad to think that everything they went through until now was fake for joohyun and she was just pretending. what kind of person does that? she's scary. what else can she pretend to be.

"then suffer more, you only get to experience this for the first time once." sunhee grins. 

"experience, what? break up?" 

"first love, you idiot." 

"i'm not-it's not first love." seungwan splutters. 

"lady doth protest too much." 

"we just started dating. it's been two weeks." 

"love doesn't know time. you can fall in love at first sight."

"that doesn't happen." 

"to you maybe not. but it does happen to some people." 

"right that wouldn't happen to me." 

"how long do you think it takes to fall in love, then?" sunhee asks, curious. 

seungwan opens to speak but stops short. her mind flashes to the moment after her and joohyun's first kiss when joohyun's smile was so big it could've broken her face it half if it was possible. it was the first time seungwan saw her smile like that and look so relaxed. 

she doesn't know. she's sure someone could've fallen in love with joohyun then. how long did that moment last? 

"i don't know. a month at least." 

"sure, start the timer then." sunhee laughs at her, just as a doorbell rings. she gets up to check who came for a visit as seungwan tries to protest at her words. 

"speak of the devil." sunhee says as soon as she opens the door. 

"you're lying." seungwan accuses her, not yet seeing who rang the bell. as soon as she walks over she stops dead in her tracks.

"hello." joohyun bows at sunhee, it's the first time seungwan sees her look so respectful. and nervous. her eyes look wide, darting around everywhere, and her cheeks are flushed.

"hi! i'll leave you two alone to talk." sunhee grins wide. she walks off towards her room, "don't do anything i wouldn't!" 

"yah! don't say stuff like that." seungwan whines when she starts to feel her face again. 

sunhee leaves and it's just silence. joohyun doesn't say a word and seungwan is not about to apologize for caring about her; she tries not to do that anymore to people. 

seungwan gestures for joohyun to enter - always polite, even when mad - and closes the door when she does, peeking at how joohyun clenches her fist at the side, fingers white with strength. 

it's really not her fault, seungwan thinks, it was joohyun who got them into this situation. if it was so hard to pretend to be her girlfriend, she could've said no, she could've refused right from the get-go and stopped this thing before it got to this place. now she has to stare at joohyun being like this without knowing what to say. she doesn't like seeing her like this just as she doesn't like knowing she's sick. what else is she supposed to do at this moment than sit down and hear her out? 

"it was a bad day." joohyun says, then silence again.

she tugs harshly on the hair tie that's on her wrist and seungwan looks at her. that's it? that's all she has to say after treating seungwan like that and letting her worry all weekend? is this how she apologizes for it, too? seugwan feels her resolve grow, she's not going to be someone's welcoming mat; someone they just walk over cause they feel like it and never feel bad.

well, okay, joohyun does look like she feels a little bit bad but she still did it. it's too late to take it back and her not apology doesn't help her.

"and?" seungwan shrugs. "should i care about that?"

"what do you mean, of cour- it's an explanation." joohyun lets her hands fall to her sides.

"okay, thanks, i guess. you can go now though."

"i'm sorry?"

"for what?" seungwan blinks at her, watches as the realization reflects inside her eyes.

"for being rude. i came to make things right, i guess i'm not sure how."

"what happened, joohyun?"

"it's nothing i can't handle but..." joohyun trails off, in conflict with herself on what to share with seungwan or that's what it seems.

"but, what?" 

"i just didn't realize we were involving our families into this, that's all." 

"you were sick, of course, i brought up your parents." seungwan says, almost angry. 

"yes, i know. i overreacted. that's why i'm here - to apologize." 

"well thank you for your kindness, but don't you think it's a bit lackluster? how would you feel being receiving end of it?" 

"look, i've been thinking about it all weekend. i'm sorry, i was out of line getting mad at you. i don't know what to do to make it better." 

"that's not why i'm mad. anyone can lose it once in a while." 

"then?" joohyun blinks. 

"you said we weren't friends." 

"are we?" joohyun chuckles a little. "we could be, if you want." 

"then what do you call it? what have we been doing this whole time?" 

"dating, seungwan." joohyun tells her. "even if it wasn't real, we weren't friends." 

"is that it? just that?" 

"fake girlfriends? we can be that." 

"i thought there was a deeper connection than that." 

"sure, we can be best friends. do you want me to kiss you now or later?" 

"it's not funny. i thought you could be someone i trust." 

joohyun falls silent. she sighs softly and then hesitantly walks over closer, sitting down on the edge of the couch. 

"i'm sorry i'm not taking this as seriously as it is to you." 

"clearly. it's funny to you." 

"it is." joohyun shrugs. "seungwan, we were strangers and we decided to kiss a little just because." 

seungwan looks down as she bites her bottom lip. joohyun is right that they decided to have this strange relationship out of thin air. seungwan wasn't thinking at all when she suggested it. she didn't even consider there will be moments like this. she