Chaewon was different.


She had always been different, that was what Yujin thought as she walked quietly behind the shorter girl, matching her pace. If she slowed down, Yujin would slow down too, keeping her distance. It was only when Chaewon completely stopped walking and turned that she stopped as well.

"Why do you always walk behind me?" Chaewon asked, a little annoyed. "I've never asked, I know, but it seriously does bother me."

She took a moment to think about it. "Habit?" she replied.

It was partly true. She always ended up walking behind the girl because Chaewon daydreamed a lot, and somehow she felt like she was intruding her thoughts if she walked beside her. She felt that if she walked behind her, she could somehow give the girl some thinking space. Yujin did walk behind her a lot, ever since they were kids, though. Chaewon usually had to slow down and beckoned her to hurry for her to walk beside her.


Chaewon raised an eyebrow at her reply and she had to keep a straight face as she continued, "You used to be really embarrassing to walk with because you trip over nothing at least once a day, and mumbled to yourself a lot."

She laughed when Chaewon deadpanned. She brought up that dark past every chance she could when the girl least expected it.

"Jesus. That was at least... what, 15 years ago? You seriously need to get over it, nerd," Chaewon retaliated, turning away and started walking again. "Can you hurry up? I want you to stay beside me," she paused briefly, "-not following me around like my ."


She burst out laughing even louder at that because that was just the kind of thing Chaewon would say. That was just how she was, being rude right after saying anything that could be remotely sweet.

The first time Chaewon declared her as her bestfriend, Yujin could vividly remember her saying, "You're my bestfriend. Annoying and a total pain sometimes, but yeah."

They've always been more than that, though, she thought, as she caught up with Chaewon, their hands bumping once, then twice, before the latter chose to put her hands in the pockets of her hoodie instead (which she had borrowed from Yujin a long time ago, and was never to be returned, apparently).

Yujin knew that Chaewon felt it too, that extra something they had when they're hanging out together with their mutual friends, but especially when they were alone like this; just walking home together, not really talking.

It was hard to explain what they had, because they've been together since Chaewon had transferred to the same elementary school in the middle of the school year and was seated next to a goofy-and-embarrassing-as-hell nerdy Yujin.

"My hamster died today," was the first thing Yujin had said to her as they waited for the next class to start.

It was awkward, and at the tender age of 8, Chaewon remembered internally groaning at the fact that she had to seat next to the weird girl who wore mismatched socks and had two missing front tooth, but that was how their friendship began and they were inseparable ever since.


She had always known that no one could even come close to how much Chaewon meant to her. They were bestfriends, that was what the others would say. Chaewon was her bestfriend, but so was Hyewon and Yena.

Maybe it might be due to the fact that she had known her the longest, but as much as she did consider Chaewon as her bestfriend, she meant so much more than that at the same time.

With Hyewon, she would go to for advice and have deep talks about their futures. With Yena, she sought her company when she wanted to unwind, rant about life, and just have fun doing silly things together. They understood her just as well as she understood them.

It wasn't the same for Chaewon. Chaewon had always been different. For most parts, they understood each other the best but sometimes -just sometimes- they don't understand each other at all. They could argue over the smallest things, and have childish insults thrown back and forth, but Chaewon was still the only person that could keep her grounded.


Some things had changed as they watched each other grow into the person they were now, but Yujin wasn't sure exactly when it was that things between them felt almost.. intimate.

Maybe it started when Yujin willingly accepted detention for two whole weeks when they were 14, for punching and breaking a boy's nose, just because he played a prank on Chaewon and made her cry. Chaewon waited for her every day after school, with a small apologetic smile and a packet of their favourite juice ready for her.

Maybe it escalated when they decided that their first kiss should be with each other when they were 16, that one night as they hung out at the quiet playground that held a lot of th