That's... a lot of blood.

"Are you insane?!" 

She lunges towards me, but gets pulled back. Our teacher pushes me away as well, keeping us as far apart as possible.

"Get Eunbi to the clinic," he instructs the others. "Yerin, on the bench. Now." 

I watch them wipe away the blood on her face as they walk her out. I take my eyes off them when my teacher stands in front of me.

"Look, I know you two don't get along very well, but you went too far. Control. Your. Strength. She is not the enemy here." I avoid eye contact, not wanting to listen as my emotions overwhelm me. "We have a moral code. I'm not going to force you to apologize, because it is up to you on whether you will live up to it or not." He turns around and continues on to the next sparring match.

Of course this wasn't supposed to happen.

I wasn't supposed to kick her right on the face.

I was aiming for the back of her head, but she turned around too quick.

Will I get penalized?

Am I going to be suspended?

I bet Eunbi's going to be the new vice captain.

-

It started a year ago when we first began college.

I had been training my entire life to get into the collegiate-level teams, and hopefully become team captain during my time.

Taekwondo, a Korean martial art, specializes in kicks and jumps. Comparing to other martial arts, we have foam helmets and torso pads for protection, because it's not about how hard you hit (though that is important too), it's where.

My parents had wanted me to become a nurse, or a flight attendant, or even an engineer. They never expected me to enjoy and pursue this sport as much as I do. They just wanted the lazy little kid I was to move around and exercise.

I remember the day I put my bags down into my new dorm room, 206, and taking in the smell of this new start. I didn't want to start unpacking yet, because I wanted to discuss boundaries with my roommate.

I wait an hour.

Nothing.

So I decide to go out and tour campus on my own. I find the cafeteria, the science buildings, the general offices, the library, and the gym with the pool. 

"Eomma," I answer my mother on the phone. "No, I haven't eaten yet... Last time I checked, my roommate wasn't there... Yes, I will take my vitamins later."

Distracted, I was unable to hear the wheels that tread quickly and clicked over every crack on the sidewalk from behind me. Only until the last second do I hear, "Coming through!" and turn around.

Next thing I know, I'm on the pavement with my torso and aching. I open my eyes, and I see a skateboard slowly rolling away to the side. 

"You really need to pay attention to what's around you." 

There's a girl in front of me who is almost mirroring my position, and who I can only assume is the one that made me fall. She takes off her helmet, allowing me a better view of her face, and stands up achingly. When she looks back at me, her eyes are piercing cold with her nostrils flared. Instead of helping me up, she moves to grab her board, and dusts off her pants.

"Uhm, you're the one that crashed into me." I don't usually respond like that to strangers, but this particular one was able to get on my nerves with a single sentence. I don't think I'm of fault either in this situation, so why should I apologize?

"Maybe if you weren't walking in the middle, I would have had space to pass."

As she skates away, I finally get on my feet and look around for my phone. I thank the heavens that there are no scratches or cracks on it, and I notice my mom is still on the call.

"Hello? Yeah, I'm okay... It's nothing. Just someone... I'll head back to the dorm how... Bye."

What an .

As I enter the building, I see the said person making her way up the stairs. With her helmet and board in arm, she seems to not notice me as she types on her phone. In the back of my head, I begin to pray that she's not my roommate, or even close to my dorm room as I follow behind discreetly. I start praying harder when she enters the floor of my room. She gets closer and closer to my door, and at this point, I'm willing to get on my knees and beg. 

Closer...

So close...

But she skips my door and enters the one after it. 

Well... I guess we're neighbors.

In my panic, I didn't even notice the two boxes that rested outside my door. Right as I lay my hand on the knob, it swings open, revealing a tall girl with voluminous long black hair that seems to be in her full control.

"Oh! Hi! Are you my roommate?" she asks with a gentle smile.

Dang, this girl is pretty.

I switch on my charm in hopes of making a great first impression.

"Well, this is my room too, so I think it's safe to say that I am!" I joke. "I'm Jung Yerin."

"Kim Sojung. Nice to meet you!" She steps aside and gestures for me to come inside. "Sorry, I kind of have a lot of stuff. Were you going to unpack?"

"I actually wanted to wait for you before I start to settle everything. Like which side you wanted, or if you need more closet space for hangers."

"I can take the right." 

I immediately regret not choosing a side first. If I take the left, then it's possible that I'll hear through the walls of the next room. I don't exactly want to hear that person's voice at the moment. 

As we begin to unpack, we get to know all the basic things about each other like our majors, sports, age, and family. 

"You should come with me after we unpack. My friend wanted to go out tonight with our other friends. I'll pay for you," Sojung says after making her bed.

"I'm down for meeting new people." As I sit on my bed after finishing, I finally look at my roommate properly. Aside from her hair that looks straight out of a shampoo commercial, her nose and jawline look like it can cut. She has a nice face— one that isn't scary. I can tell she's not bare faced, but she has very thin eyeliner on that seems to do a way better job of emphasizing her eyes than if it were thicker. 

Don't fall for your roommate, don't fall for your roommate, don't fall for your roommate —

Before we leave, she knocks on room 207. I furrow my brows in confusion as to why she would talk to anyone in that room. I feel my heart rate quicken when the door opens a sliver, hoping it's not who I think it is. Instead, another tall girl opens the door, smiling upon immediate sight of Sojung. 

"I'm Choi Yuna," she tells me. This girl also has a kind face and smile, and I wonder, are the rest of their friends like this too?

It seems as if her roommate isn't there, given the lack of introduction or farewell to anyone inside the room.

We walk to a pizza parlor not far from campus. Sojung tells me how I should try their garlic chicken wings, or their spinach cheese bread.

"As long as you're paying, I'll try anything," I tell her. 

I find out Sojung and Yuna have known each other since middle school, and even used to date in high school. 

"We were honestly just bored and wanted to try something new. In the end, we're a lot better as just friends," Yuna shrugs. 

"I wouldn't even count it as dating. It was like our regular friendship, just with more skinship." Sojung laughs and puts her arm around the other's shoulders. "We didn't even kiss."

"And we will never." Yuna grimaces, and I'm unsure of the meaning behind her statement.

Sojung heads straight to a table as if she's memorized every step of this place. I see someone get up from her seat, and she runs straight into my roommate's arms. I stare as they share a kiss not because I'm a ert or anything, but because Sojung didn't even bother to say she was taken.

"Yerin, this is my girlfriend, Eunha. Sarang, this is my roommate, Jung Yerin." 

"Hi Yerin! I hope you'll be alright with Sojung as your roommate." She cups , but doesn't say it any quieter. "She snores sometimes."

The taller basically lifts her up from behind, and moves her away from me. "I don't snore!" she defends herself. 

Looking to the table, I flinch slightly when my eyes meet familiar cold ones.

No.

Why.

"This is Yerin, everyone. That's Yewon, Chungha, Ungjae, Seungkwan, Vernon, and Eunbi."

Eunbi.

Hm. 

I don't like this Eunbi.

Thankfully, we sit at the other end of the table, away from her. Not long after, two large pizzas arrive, garlic chicken wings, the spinach cheese bread, and a skillet cookie. Pretty good meal fo