The third time Seulgi sneaks into Joohyun's bedroom, she brings with her a newly-released scent of a Downy fabric softener. She turns after placing it nicely on the table and is greeted with the sight of Joohyun watching her with a raised eyebrow, with only her undergarments on and a towel being held in front of her chest.

"Holy sh-, I'm sorry, I thought you were showering." She moves to show her the fabric softener. "I went to buy some chips and saw this. I hope you like the scent."

"Thanks." Joohyun smiles appreciatively. "Seul, can you stay for a bit? I think we should talk about the other night."

"Oh, of course. I'll let you put your clothes on." She says, walking to the door.

"Just sit down, Seul." Joohyun tsks at her unecessary politeness, knowing they've all seen each other with only their undergarments on, or even less, at one point or another.

She sits down obediently on the edge of the bed, turning to the other side so Joohyun can put her shirt and shorts on without her watching like a creep.

"So.. the thing you told me at Han River.." Joohyun circles the bed to sit next to her, her hand runs through Seulgi's hair to fix her slightly tousled locks. "Are you serious about it?"

Seulgi mentally adds this to the long list of reasons why she fell for Joohyun. The way she's always so observant, so quick to notice the little things and so ready to fix them like Seulgi's hair is part of Joohyun's own body. It feels extremely intimate to her, the imagination that Joohyun sees Seulgi as a part of herself.

"Y-yes." Seulgi feels her heart thumping. There's this nervous feeling she used to feel when she hasn't prepared well for an exam or a trainee assessment.

"What exactly do you mean by that? Do you want us to.. date?"

Seulgi furrows her eyebrows. "When you put it like that it sounds kinda weird." She dares herself to look at Joohyun, who looks at her without prejudiced. "I think.. for a starter I just don't want to pretend or have to tip-toe around you anymore. I love you and I want to be able to show that. I don't want you to feel weird about it but yes, I want to be more than friends with you."

"But we're more than friends, Seul. You're one of the most important people in my life." Joohyun says, eyes looking into Seulgi's like she meant every single word. "I feel like I'm even closer to you in a spiritual level than anyone I've ever dated. This special bond that we have, is that not enough?"

To say that she's flattered is an understatement, but the feeling that she might soon lose this battle does awful thing to her guts. "It used to be more than enough, but after realizing the feelings I have for you, that's no longer the case."

Joohyun takes a deep breath. "Even knowing the risk that if we ruined this everything would never be the same again?"

Seulgi isn't prepared for this question. She has so much, too much, confident in herself and in the relationship she has with Joohyun to even entertain the idea that it might not work out. This is what Yerim has been trying to tell her all this time but she's too stubborn to listen, too in love to care. "I trust you. I trust myself. Everybody says we're so compatible. I really think we can.. make a great couple." She looks at Joohyun with a determined face, wanting to convince her.

"Oh, Seulgi." Joohyun caresses her head and Seulgi reflexively leans into it, hoping for more physical contact. "I really appreciate the faith you have in me but.. I'm so sorry, Seul, I can't risk it." Her face contorts in a grimace of pain saying that. "You're too important to me. Our friendship is way too important to me. And you have to think about the group, it's not just about us. If something happened, they would suffer the repercussion too."

First rejection. It stings, but Seulgi listens carefully, trying to analyze each sentence. "So, it really is about that?"

'What if she's just trying to be responsible, as the leader of the group and also as our unnie. She wants to protect us, protect you and protect herself. Who knows, she might have been repressing her feelings for you this whole time too, we all know how good she is at masking her feelings.'

"About what?"

"You feel the same way about me but you're putting the group first?" She questions.

Joohyun's forehead creases, like she has just realized she said something she shouldn't have. Instead of answering she asks, "You talked to the girls, right? What did they say about this?"

She swears if she could turn back time she would hug them tightly and give them wet kisses. Well, not all, Yerim was totally against it. "They said that if we want to date they will support it. They said that we're all mature enough to not let personal affairs affect our group."

Joohyun's face contorts into total disbelief. "They said that?"

"Seungwan and Sooyoung, mostly. Yerim was a bit more skeptical." Seulgi decides to tell the truth.

Joohyun sighs, shaking her head. "To be really honest though, I think they're just trying to be supportive after I went off on them that day." She huffs. "Shouldn't have done that, now I'm turning them into yes men. Or yes women, to be precise."

Seulgi honestly can't think of any reasons why they would lie, especially Sooyoung who is always so honest and straight-forward. "Unnie, do you feel the same about me?" She asks nervously, desperately wanting to hear the word directly from Joohyun's mouth.

Joohyun looks at her with her sharp eyes. "It doesn't matter. We can't do this, Seul."

Second rejection. She decides to focus on what matters the most first. "I just want to know that I'm not crazy in thinking that there's something really special between us."

Joohyun's mouth moves but there's no sound coming out of it. It's like it is still in the process of forming the first syllable that is about to come out. "There's something very special between us, doesn't mean it should be turned into a great love story." Joohyun says, lifting her up and dropping her back down in a span of two seconds. Third rejection.

'If it's true then I couldn't imagine how torturous it must have been for her. To have to keep it all a secret all this time and not be able to reciprocate even if she feels the same.'

"Unnie, can you be selfish for once and think about what you want instead of the interest of the group?" Seulgi tries yet again, still not giving up. 

Joohyun stands up from the bed, startling Seulgi. She then paces around the room, still sporting a big frown on her face. "Fine, this is what want." She finally speaks after a long minute. "I don't want to ever lose you as a friend. Us, dating, it'll be like opening a pandora box. The possibility of us falling out is huge. People break up all the time, married couples get divorced all the time. We're special, but we're not that special. You have to be reasonable, Seul."

Fourth rejection. Seulgi looks down to her lap, she has set in a hard line. When Joohyun moves and stands within her reach, Seulgi can't help but pull her into her space, hugging her waist and presses her face against the older woman's abdomen. Joohyun tenses for a second, but the next she puts her hands on the back of Seulgi's head and her shoulder, hugging her back. It feels so warm Seulgi wishes that time would just stop right that second so that everything she has just heard wouldn't matter anymore.

She tries to think logically of the risks of them dating. What would happen if people find out, what would happen if it ends badly, how it would affect their friendship, how it would affect the group. There's an urge for her to just give up right that second but Joohyun has just indirectly confirmed that she sees Seulgi as more than a friend too and if Joohyun loves her even only half the portion of the love she has for Joohyun, then maybe she should keep fighting.

"Unnie," She calls, putting a distance between them so she can look into her eyes. Joohyun's hands are still on her shoulder, holding her warmly. "I know there are risks, but I just want to be given a chance to show you how worth it it can be. I want to let you know how much loved you are."

Joohyun bites her bottom lips and moves back slowly to sit herself on her rolling chair. "Seul.. I've received nothing but love from you since.. almost since those days we started training together. You don't have to show me anything, you don't have to prove anything to me. I know. And I feel like I've received more than I deserved." 

"It's not the same." Seulgi shakes her head adamantly. "Try going out on a date with me, Unnie. Let's spend a day together, not as friends, not as colleagues, but just as Joohyun and Seulgi."

There's contemplation in her face but Seulgi can't deduce if it's because she wants to or if she's thinking of agreeing just out of pity. She's not feeling very optimistic all of a sudden so she decides that if Joohyun says yes, it's the latter. When Joohyun is still not answering, Seulgi pushes through. "What are you so worried about? This is actually very convenient, no one will suspect anything. And it's okay if it doesn't work out, but we at least have to try so we won't regret it one day and keep wondering the what ifs, right?"

Joohyun keeps staying mum, her eyes no longer looking at Seulgi. She rolls the chair back and forth, back and forth, until Seulgi holds the arm rests, forcing her to stop.  "One date. That's all I ask."

She finally looks at her and asks, "Try explaining to me how you think this is gonna work." She adds, clarifying. "Not the date. I mean, if we get into a relationship."

Seulgi wracks her brain real quick to come up with an acceptable explanation. Before she could even start, Joohyun interjects. "Wait, before you start.. we're not planning things, this is all hypothetical. We're just having a mature conversation, yes?

Seulgi nods her head in understanding and proceeds. "First of all, don't treat it like a rocket science, Unnie. I know you have your responsibilities and it's in your nature to always want to protect all of us but.. we have the rights to try, do we not?" In the midst of talking she suddenly thinks of something brilliant. "What if it was Seungwan and Sooyoung, for example. What if you know that they love each other and want to be together. Would you forbid them from getting into a relationship?"

Joohyun's jaw visibly hardened at the scenario and Seulgi mentally patting herself on her back. 'Check mate.' 

"I would advise them not to, but I would never give them the ultimatum to not date." She says, a little defeated.

"Okay. So, can we take the group out of the equation for now?" She is not actually asking for permission, she has already taken them out. She knows she already has Seun