Playwriting. It was a source of relief to Eunji. Somewhere she could put in all her feelings, thoughts and opinions without the need to be judged. Where she could hide behind the mask of her character, having a sense of anonymity despite the raw emotion she pours into her scripts. A sense of avoidance to her feelings. Eunji savoured every bit of the process.

 

 

To say playwriting was a passion for Chorong would be an understatement. Remove playwriting and Chorong didn't know who she was. Sure, she had other defining features but her soul, a piece of her, would always be in playwriting. It was an escape for her, somewhere she could be who she was not. Where fantasies merge to become a distant reality. Getting to dance upon the line of character and herself - blurring the lines every so often.

 

Playwriting was both the girl's form of escapism.

 

So, when Ms Kim - their teacher - announced to them that they were tasked to do a script for a playwright that was supposed to take place just before summer break, dubbed 'Holiday Play Week' with the elusive theme of 'Feelings' - both girls were immediately fired up. 

 

 

Chorong was sitting at her usual lunch table, waiting for her sister and her friend to come along to join her. She was wracking her brain for a beginning, a starter, anything that could get the writing started. 

 

Just as she was about to pen some of her thoughts down, her sister's voice reached her ears. Causing her to halt in her movement, placing her pen down before glaring at Hayoung. "Woah, why do you look like you're plotting my murder?" Hayoung cautiously asked, taking a seat opposite from Chorong (in an effort to maintain space so her older sister wouldn't pounce on her.) Namjoo sat down quietly next to Hayoung, glancing between the siblings curiously.

 

Chorong was about to say something, but shut huffing instead. She turned back to her paper, tapping her pen on the table, much to the annoyance of Namjoo and Hayoung. 

 

"Jesus, just put down your pen. Stop trying to make a goddamn beat, you're in playwriting not music." Namjoo said, annoyed at the constant non-rhythmic tapping of Chorong's god forsaken pen.

 

Chorong sent a death glare to the younger, groaning out in frustration from the lack of ideas that came to her mind. Sure, all her plays were based on feelings - but she never really spelled it out. It was just there in the background. Just a way for her to start, never really deep into the play, embedded as a theme.

 

She needed a strong feeling, one that could pull through the entire play. She needed to keep the theme etched into the play, into the mind of the audience.

 

"Can't you write something about Eunji." Hayoung suggested, earning a toss of a crumpled up piece of paper to her face. "Why would I write about that excuse of a writer?" Chorong said, unimpressed.

 

"Well, you said you needed strong feelings. It doesn't necessarily have to be good, you certainly have strong feelings of hate towards her." Hayoung casually explained. And Chorong sat there stunned. Hayoung was right. Eunji would be perfect as a starting point. But would she write about her?

 

 

 

The 2 hadn't really had the best impressions of each other. It was more of a…Trainwreck, which then got derailed, plummeting to the bottom of the ocean, before breaking into pieces.

 

So to say it was bad, was certainly an understatement.

 

Eunji had been walking to her new class, a lazy smile on her lips. As soon as she entered the classroom, she was introduced to everyone as the new student. She had become the centre of attention almost immediately.

 

Not only because their school was one of the most prestigious schools in the whole of Seoul, but because Eunji had also gotten in on a scholarship.

 

And the only other student with a scholarship there was Chorong. 

 

Immediately, Chorong had a sort of distaste towards the girl. Always making snide remarks about her. But despite all of that, Eunji managed to become first in their class after their first assignment. Which meant Chorong - for the first time - was placed second.

 

In an instant, the feeling of distaste became something much worse. Jealously, anger and disgust. She had always been on top, now Eunji just waltzed into school and suddenly she's second?

 

The weeks after that revelation, Chorong had been much meaner to the girl. Instead of snide remarks, it was straight up insults. Instead of playful banter, it was straight up fights. Not physical, yet (Chorong wouldn't put it past Eunji to deck her) but it still hurt where it shouldn't. 

 

Their relationship turned sour before it even began, the 2 inwardly cursing each other whenever they walked past each other in the halls. Or when they miraculously glanced at each other during class to catch the others' gaze.

 

 

 

So when Eunji thought of feelings to work on for her playwright, she immediately thought of hatred and anger. Those were the strongest feelings she had, and the fact that she kept looking over to Chorong's table didn't help.

 

"Eun, do you think maybe that hatred is something else?" Bomi quietly suggested, wincing when her best friend snapped her head up - nearly giving herself whiplash - to glare at her.

 

"No. It's not." Eunji immediately shut her down. "I don't feel butterflies, or whatever you feel when you're with Naeun. When I'm with her." Eunji shudders, remembering the time she tried to greet Chorong but was just greeted with a death glare.

 

Looking back at her blank Google doc she had opened, she sighed. Letting her head fall into her hand. She needed to dig up whatever emotions she had and make them into a script.

 

This usually came naturally to her. But having to write what feelings are supposed to be represented was hard - she tried so hard to hide it. She needed to be obvious this time, honest, something she wasn't in her past plays. In her previous plays, she had written around her emotions that were conveyed. Choosing to ignore and dispel them in the later works of it. 

 

She hated being open and honest. She liked the raw emotions and all, but being outward with the meaning was difficult. She'd like to think of herself as more philosophical than straight to the feeling point, but that needed to be done. 

 

And so she would get it done.

 

She had to anyway.

 

 

Chorong was staring at her empty sheet of paper, her inner turmoil worsening when she realised lunch was over. She wanted to be honest, but she couldn't. She just couldn't.

 

She'd figure out another strong feeling later, she had 2 weeks after all.

 

And 2 weeks later, nothing.

 

Sitting there, Chorong let out a frustrated grunt. Ideas always came to her in an instant, words would flow out of her hands, the words writing themselves. But here she was, the idea in her mind, but she couldn’t seem to find the words to type it out. 

 

Her mind was clouded - darn Hayoung for giving her that 'Eunji' idea.

 

She thought and thought. Staring blankly at the wall in front of her. Love? Yeah. That could work, she loved her family and some of her friends. She certainly felt that, so she'd use it. (Even if there was a lingering thought to do her original idea about a certain girl) love will do for now.

 

She came up with a plot almost immediately. 'Family Pact.' A story about how a girl from a privileged family uses her advantage to help people and herself, overcoming obstacles from the love she gave and received. It's a…plot. It had some truth. It wasn't all that bad. She couldn't think of anything else, this'll have to do.

 

 

Eunji stared wordlessly at her near empty doc. All that was written on there was 2 character introductions and a third character with no intro. She looked utterly dismayed at her pathetic excuse of a starting point. 

 

Bomi's words had lingered in her head all throughout the weeks, the more she thought about it, the more confused she became about her conflicting feelings towards Chorong.

 

Jieun - A smart and confident girl, often using sarcasm as a deflection method. Not open with feelings, fun to be around and sometimes philosophical. The life of the party, doesn't get attached easily.

 

Ye Seul - The smart yet dumb friend of Jieun's. Normally really goofy and sometimes stupid. But on occasion, there'd be moments where Ye Seul says something close to advice which surprises Jieun - sometimes herself. 

 

Lea -

 

 

Eunji knew who these characters were going to be. But when her fingers moved to type something for Lea, it was like she had all and nothing to say about her. She could rant about how nasty and mean the girl was, but then she would write about how the girl would also buy snacks for people she sees not eating during lunch. It cancels out most of the time.

 

Sighing for the umpteenth time, Eunji pulls out her phone. Searching for a certain contact.

 

Huffing she pressed the call button all but reluctantly.

 

"Hi."

 

"What's up?"

 

"Playwriting , I need help with a plot."

 

"Oh? The Jung Eunji needs my help for a plot?"

 

"Shut it, Nangni."

 

Eunji hears a light chuckle come from the other line. A small smile appears on her face.

 

"Alright, alright. Explain where you're stuck at."

 

Eunji begins to explain her plot, what she wanted to write. And the problem of how Lea's character seems to be clashing with herself. 

 

"Well, why did you want to include her in the first place?"

 

"Because she's the one that helps me carry the main emotion throughout the play."

 

"Okay. So what is that emotion."

 

"..."

 

"You're confused."

 

"You're confused, that's why the character is also confused. You're projecting again."

 

"I…Naeun you don't get it. She's so mean to me but an angel to everyone else. She's literally so kind, and it doesn't help that she's pretty."

 

"Ah. So you hate the way she treats you but you love every other quality."

 

Eunji hums in agreement, a red tint colouring her cheeks.

 

"Then include that. Subtly or not subtly. Whichever you choose, I know you'll do great. You never fail to bring out a good plot."

 

"Thanks nangni."

 

"And include me in the play as a character, a thanks for my help"

 

"Okay, okay."

 

"Alright, I'll be auditioning once it comes out. See ya! Have fun with your crush-not-crush character."

 

Euni hurriedly hangs up, rolling her eyes. But there's a faint ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

 

She knows what to do.

 

Jieun - A smart and confident girl, often using sarcasm as a deflection method. Not open with feelings, fun to be around and sometimes philosophical. The life of the party, doesn't get attached easily. Confused.

 

Ye Seul - The smart yet dumb friend of Jieun's. Normally really goofy and sometimes stupid. But on occasion, there'd be moments where Ye Seul says something close to advice which surprises Jieun - sometimes herself. 

 

Lea - A smart and kind girl. But she has somewhat of a hatred for Jieun, stemming from the fact the Jieun was always just a step ahead of her. But sometimes, she admires some of the girl's qualities, it was a push and pull dynamic. 

 

Su Jeong - A quiet and timid girl. Often just keeping to herself, the literal opposite of Jieun, but they're somehow friends. She often gives life advice to Jieun because everything Jieun does, to Su Jeong is stupid.

 

Eunji smiles to herself, knowing now that she has an idea of where to go. She'd write about they're encounter and everything, but with a tensionish romantic vibe to it. 

 

Eunji spent the rest of the day working on it, perfecting everything to the best of her abilities. Reading thoroughly through her work, smiling when she was able to clearly see the tension and motivation behind her piece with the lens of an audience member.

 

She was done.

 

'Heartstrings' She'd call it. That was that. That was her emotions laid bare, for everyone. No mask of characters to hide behind, the Theme and meanings were spelled out in bright bold letters. Eunji knew Chorong was smart, she knew that after a while, the girl would definitely pick up on the clues and piece them together.

 

She'd know the play was about her.

 

Which was why Eunji hovered over the submit button, contemplating whether she should scrap this one and write a new play. But she took one deep breath, closing her eyes, and she hit submit. It was done. 

 

She would find out.

 

 

The next day, in their teacher's class, everyone excitedly took their seats, almost everyone hoping their plays would be picked. But there was Eunji, sitting anxiously, legs bouncing up and down. Half of her wanted to be picked, half of her wanted that piece to just be a sort of secret between her and her teacher.

 

And then, "We will be doing Jung Eunji's piece, titled 'Heartstrings'" the teacher had announced. The class applauded politely, Chorong following suit - admitting to herself that this time, she certainly did not deserve to have her play be put on show.

 

"So, generally from what I read, the story is about 2 girls hitting off to a rocky start, but they see the good in each other and then they slowly learn to accept each other despite the prejudice they have against each other. And then they fall in love?" The teacher summed up the work in a vague context, but Eunji nodded her head. The vaguer the better.

 

Chorong raised an eyebrow - this sounded familiar. This sounded like the play she wanted to write. Maybe her and Eunji did have somewhat of a similar thinking.

 

"The auditions will be on Friday, Eunji will be helping as this is her play. Then, the casting would be announced the next week Friday and rehearsals would begin the week after. More details soon, so for now let's begin." Their teacher said, but Eunji was completely zoned out. Thinking about the endless possibilities of what could go wrong.

 

What stopped her thoughts was when her gaze was met with a colour of beautiful brown, one that Eunji could bask in and drown herself in if not for the calling of her name and the bell ringing.

 

Eunji walked up to the teacher's desk, wondering why she had been called up. "Do you want to be a participant in the play, or just the director?" Ms Kim asked, Eunji stood, contemplating her decision. 

 

She knew the answer though.

 

"I'll play Jieun." Ms Kim nodded, writing something down before sparing a smile and walking out. That was that. She'd go on to do the play, Chorong would find out, kill her probably and that would be it. At least, that’s what she envisioned in her head.

 

 

 

But now, Eunji was sitting at a table, with 2 other people - faculty teachers - while she judged people’s acts. Another disappointment with one of the minor roles by a guy. She sighed looking down at her sheet, all candidates so far were all disappointments - except for Bomi who had blown her away with her performance of Ye Seul.

 

Eunji shouted a ‘Next’ almost monotonously, eyes fixated on her sheet of names. Skimming through them to find the next person. Chorong. She was up next, Eunji cleared , trying to hide her nervousness by occupying herself with flipping her script. 

 

“Hi, I’m Chorong” The girl greeted, bowing to the faculty teachers, blatantly ignoring Eunji to which Eunji was somewhat grateful for. “So, which part are you auditioning for?” Ms Kim asked, curiously looking at Chorong. “Lea” Chorong said confidently, Eunji froze, that part was practically made for her - in fact, It was. And Eunji prayed she wouldn’t play it, because she needed an excuse not to put Chorong in the play.

 

“Act 2, paragraph 12” Chorong said, flipping her given script to the correct page. Eunji took a deep breath, willing herself to be more sharp and objective about this play. She couldn’t let Chorong get this part. She didn’t know how she’d play with her.

 

“Alright, Eunji will be your acting partner in the scene.” Ms Kim announced, Eunji sighing as she went up on stage. She was the person playing Jieun whom Lea was talking to in the scene. 

 

Eunji walked up to the stage with a shaky breath, her legs felt like giving up on her as she approached the stage. Letting out a trembling breath, Eunji walked towards Chorong who was set at the centre of the stage.

 

Chorong waited for her cue, beginning almost immediately. Eunji saw how flawlessly she switched into character. How her eyes changed to ones of vulnerability as said in the scene. She was amazing. And Eunji hated it.

 

“Jieun! Wait…please.” Lea begged, hands rushing to grab Jieun’s when she turned to walk away. Eunji noticed how her voice trembled, how her lips quivered and how her touch had been so gentle. “What? What do you want? You said it yourself to everyone, you. hated. me.” Jieun spat, punctuating her sentence with a glare, taking back her hand quickly - away from Lea’s touch. Eunji noticed the guilt in Chorong’s eyes and the way her lips quivered, as if she was going to cry. Dang, she’s good.

 

“Jieun…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it! I swear!” Lea exclaimed desperately, trying to move forward to hug Jieun. But Jieun had jerked backwards, a look of longing and anger crossing her face. “You keep doing this! You keep hating me in public, but when we’re…here, you just…God Lea, just choose if you love or hate me!” Jieun shouted, stabbing a finger into the centre of Lea’s chest, a hurt look on her face, tears pricking her eyes.

 

Lea had tears in her eyes, trying to form a coherent sentence, “Ji…eun” Lea begged, watching as the girl walked away, trying to move to chase her, but all her body could do was jerk unsteadily a step forwards, refusing to go further.  

 

End scene 

 

Eunji stared in awe at Chorong’s depiction of Lea. Well, the role was made for her. There was no way she could take her off the play, unless Hailee Steinfield suddenly showed up and offered to take her role, which was probably not gonna happen but Eunji hoped. 

 

The teachers judging Chorong’s performance immediately burst into rapturous applause. “That was amazing!” The other faculty member - Mrs Im - said. Ms Kim nodded in agreement, Eunji sighed, knowing the chances of Chorong not being cast as Lea were as much as the chance of Hailee Steinfield coming to play Lea. “One thing, if I may ask, Chorong and Eunji, can you do Act 3 Paragraph 18?” 

 

Eunji gulped, hoping it wasn’t the scene she knew it was. Rushing to flip to that page, Eunji was met with the exact scene she suddenly wished didn’t exist. 

 

 

The Kiss Scene

 

When she was just about to decline, Chorong happily agreed, causing Eunji to groan and grumble. So here she was, doing the scene.

 

 “Jieun, please, this is public.” Lea pleaded, eyes widening as Jieun stalked towards her, causing a bigger mess of a scene. There was supposed to be scandalous gasps from the extras on set, but well, it wasn’t exactly there yet. “God dammit, Ch-Lea!” Eunji inwardly punched herself for nearly messing up, luckily no one seemed to notice.

 

“You…you constantly berate me in public, you say all those things. And yet, I still run back to you! I don’t know why, I don’t know why I need you this much! You drive me insane, Lea…” Jieun’s yelling faded as she broke down, tears running down her face relentlessly. “Jieun…” Lea mumbled, looking around before seemingly muttering ‘ it’ , wrapping her arms around Jieun who melted into her arms, letting the tears of her frustration stream down her face. (Well, like 2 tears but it wasn't the actual play yet)

 

Eunji felt awfully comfortable in Chorong's arms, it weirded her out. She genuinely felt for her character (it was her emotions after all) she felt like the lines between her and Jieun started to blur. She didn't know if it was hers or Jieun's tears that wet her face.

 

Lea backed away, just enough to look into Jieun's tear filled eyes. "I'm sorry. I promise I won't hide you. Us." Lea said firmly, taking a steady step closer to Jieun. Almost about to kiss her.

 

"Alright!" Ms Kim shouted, a delighted smile on her face as she looked at the blushing Eunji and a startled Chorong. Eunji thanked the high heavens that she didn't need to do that scene with Chorong. Yet.

 

"Thank you Chorong, Eunji. You may exit the stage, and Eunji you can come back to your seat." Mrs Im announced, writing something on her board before giving a sly smile to Eunji.

 

Chorong thanked the teacher's - again, ignoring Eunji - before exiting the stage. "Well. I think we found our Lea and our Ye Seul, now, for our Su Jeong." Ms Kim said, Eunji hesitantly nodding her head - she might not want to act with the girl, but she had to admit Chorong was indeed the best. Well, second best next to her.

 

They had flew threw the next few people who had auditioned, none of them either outstanding as Su Jeong or beating what they had. So, when Naeun had entered the stage, Eunji was hopeful. 

 

And Naeun met that expectations, completely blowing it out of the park. Her performance had been as intended, she was herself. It was so natural. So, Eunji was certain she'd take the role.

 

Eunji didn't bother tuning in to the next auditioner who chose to play Su Jeong's role, in her head, no one could beat Naeun's performance.

 

But, the moment the girl on stage spoke, it was like she was transfixed, her performance cometely captivated Eunji - it was impressive to say the least. If Naeun blew it out of the park, Hayoung had blew it out of the world (it made more sense in Eunji's head). 

 

Naeun had some competition for this role.

 

 

 

 

"I'm torn between Hayoung and Naeun for the role Su Jeong," Ms Kim said, sighing in dissapointment. Eunji had to agree, Naeun's performance had been natural, but Hayoung's performance was captivating and a little more interesting. 

 

"How about we use Eunji's decision to choose, she is the writer of this play after all." Mrs Im suggested, earning an earnest nod from Ms Kim. Eunji bit her lip, analyzing her board.

 

"I think…Hayoung is the best fit." Eunji said after much deliberation. She'd have to explain it to Naeun, but she was sure the girl would understand. "Alright, Hayoung it is." Ms Kim said, gathering her stuff.

 

"Well, that's all for today then, we'll have script run through's next week" Mrs Im muttered, sending one last smile at Eunji before she exited the auditorium.

 

Eunji was left to her thoughts, hand tightening on the strap of her bag. Sighing, she knew she wasn't getting out of this one. She'd go through with it. She had to.

 

When she laid in bed that night, her thoughts a mess and her anxiety through the roof, she couldn't help but be a little hopeful. That maybe this will work out well - though it was wishful thinking at that time.

 

 

 

Eunji had arrived early along with Naeun and Bomi to set up the auditorium with chairs and tables for their script read through. There were 7 characters in total, 3 minor roles and 4 leading roles. Naeun was playing a minor role which Eunji had given her in place of Su Jeong which Naeun thanked her for after playful scolding her.

 

The other 2 playing the minor roles were random people from a different class, Siyeon and Bora. 

 

Eunji sat at the middle of the table, Naeun taking a seat beside her and Bomi on the other side of her. Kind of like those movies where the 2 henchmen sit beside their confident master. Wherein this case it was the 2 best friends who had their lives together, next to the 1 best friend who was a ball of anxiety.

 

The door burst open, 4 students entering in. Chorong leading them as it seemed.

They took seats around the table, all murmuring a hello to the peoe already there. "Bomi, take notes please," Eunji muttered to her best friend who smiled and nodded her head.

 

"Alright everyone! Let's do some introductions! If you somehow don't know me, I'm Jung Eunji, the writer of this play and I play Jieun." Eunji said brightly, pointing at Naeun to continue.

 

"I'm Naeun. I play Marcelline" Was all that she gave, but that was enough for Eunji.

 

"I'm Hayoung, I'm a sophomore here - kinda getting used to everything, I play Su Jeong" she mumbled, which surprised Eunji. Well, because Hayoung was extremely tall.

 

"I'm Chorong, I'm in the same class as Eunji, I play Lea", Chorong muttered, spitting Eunji's name in distaste. Eunji merely rolled her eyes.

 

"I'm Siyeon, I'm a Junior. I play Seolji" Siyeon introduced herself, Eunji smiled politely at the girl who returned the smile.

 

"I'm Bora! I'm Siyeon's classmate and I'm the head of the dance club and I play Sua!" Bora said - more like yelled - Eunji smiles at the enthusiasm. She knew Bora, who wouldn't know the dance captain. She was unforgettable once you see her on stage.

 

"And I'm Bomi! Nice to meet you all! I'm Eunji's amazing friend, playing Ye Seul." Bomi said, teasingly jabbing at Eunji who just rolled her eyes.

 

"Well then, since that's over, let's start shall we?" Eunji instructed, having everyone take out the scripts they had been given beforehand.

 

"Hey! Jieun, what's up?" Ye Seul asked. She takes a seat next to Jieun.

 

"Nothing much, really just trying to get this science project done." Jieun replied, putting her head in her hands. 

 

"Well, don't push yourself just to beat Lea. I know how competitive you can get." Ye Seul said, half warningly and half playfully. 

 

Jieun rolls her eyes.

 

The scenes past by in a blur, none of them running into any blocks. Things seemed to be going smoothly.

 

And then Act 3 came around and Eunji started to get nervous. They wouldn't be kissing today, but it felt oddly intimate. It probably was just in her head.

 

The first few paragraphs were nothing, just something to move the plot.

 

And then Paragraph 12 came.

 

"You know, maybe you should tell her how you feel. Maybe she'd realise, maybe not. If she doesn't, at least you'll have closure." Ye Seul said. Patting Jieun on her back.

 

"You're right." Jieun sniffed, coughing due to her dry throat.

 

Jieun goes to meet Lea

 

"Lea. I'm just gonna be straight with you, I don't like being your secret. I'm sure you know that" Jieun was straightforward, done with the games Lea was playing.

 

"I can't do anything about that, I'm sorry." Lea hung her head low, she was scared of people's judgement.

 

Lea sighed, she knew this wasn't gonna work. But she was angry.

 

"Really? You can't? Because I've tried so ing hard! And you can't even do this for me?" Jieun angrily shouted. Getting up from her chair.

 

“Jieun, please, this is public.” Lea pleaded, eyes widening as Jieun stalked towards her, causing a bigger mess of a scene.

 

Eunji's throat started to tighten as she approached that sentence.

 

"God dammit, Lea!" Jieun shouted, shaking her head in disappointment. She thought Lea was better than this.

 

“You…you constantly berate me in public, you say all those things. And yet, I still run back to you! I don’t know why, I don’t know why I need you this much! You drive me insane, Lea…” Jieun’s yelling faded, Eunji felt dry up as Chorong muttered her character's name with care.

 

“Jieun…” Lea mumbled, looking around before seemingly muttering ‘ it’ , wrapping her arms around Jieun. Crying hard.

 

Lea backed away, just enough to look into Jieun's tear filled eyes. "I'm sorry. I promise I won't hide you. Us." Lea said firmly, taking a steady step closer to Jieun.

 

They kiss.

 

Eunji blushes as she reads the scene, she's lucky she hadn't messed up her words.

 

She hurriedly rushed to the next sentence, trying to get attention away from the kiss scene. 

 

"Lea…" Jieun muttered. Eunji inwardly cringed at her writing - since when was she into romance?

 

"I'm sorry," Lea interrupted Jieun. Moving to hug the girl.

 

The rest of the read through continued without a hitch, everyone worked well together and Eunji was kind of glad to see the play come together.

 

 

 

"Hey, Eunji." Chorong quickly asked as Eunji was putting back the chairs after everyone began leaving. "What, Chorong?" Eunji asked, a little spite evident in her voice. Chorong winced, "I was wondering if you'd like to stay here for just a bit. To revise our…part in act 3?" Chorong asked quietly, hesitating a bit. 

 

Eunji found shy Chorong absolutely endearing. "Okay. Sure. Just let me put these back first" Eunji said, awkwardly pointing to the out of place furniture. "I'll help…" Chorong mumbled, grabbing a chair and putting it back. 

 

Eunji was surprised, this was new. Chorong not berating her with snide comments and insults. Chorong was obviously aware of Eunji's confusion but decided not to address it.

 

The 2 girls worked in silence putting back the tables and chairs. Bomi said her goodbyes to Eunji, giving her a subtle wink as she slinked her hand around Naeun's waist.

 

The girls awkwardly stood there in silence, turning their scripts to the scene Chorong wanted to go through. Eunji watched as Chorong seamlessly slipped into character.

 

"I'm sorry! I promise I won't hide you…us." Lea said, so desperately clinging on to Jieun as she took a step closer.

 

Their faces inches apart. 

 

Eunji feels tightening just as she had the first time, her palms going sweaty and her entire body heating up.

 

It's just a kiss.

 

Chorong sensed how tense the girl was, giving a slight smirk as she pulled away. "I'm sure you've kissed people before, why are you so tense?" Chorong asked, amused by how red Eunji's face had gotten.

 

"Well…" might as well be bold, "I'm nervous around pretty girls." Eunji stated nonchalantly, wiping her face in a futile effort to get rid of the blush on her face. 

 

Chorong gaped as she processed the words. "You…think I'm pretty?" Chorong utters out, unable to stop herself before it was too late. Eunji raised an eyebrow, smiling at the girl. "You have a mirror, you know you're pretty." Eunji said, smiling as she reached for her script.

 

"I'm gonna go, we can try this again tomorrow. Meet me here after school." Eunji said before heading off.

 

Chorong stood there in silence as she gathered her thoughts. She decided to go through the script again, the familiarity of the scenarios scaring her a little.

 

 

 

The next day, both girls were in the auditorium alone. They went through the scene once more, this time with more ease.

 

All up until they had to kiss.

 

"I'm sorry! I promise I won't hide you! Us!" Lea shouted as she held Jieun. Her eyes watering as she begged the girl to stay. Jieun took a step forward, almost as if to say 'prove it' to Lea. 

 

Chorong lifted Eunji's chin, tilting it so it was easier to kiss the girl. Eunji felt her palms go sweaty and her face heating up. But she tried to relax, focusing on the incoming kiss.

 

It was soft, chaste and quick.

 

Eunji was left a little dazed after that, forgetting that she was even playing a character till Chorong said her line.

 

"I promise." Lea said pleadingly. Eunji hesitated, looking down at her script before she could continue. "How do I know you won't go back to…whatever." Jieun said quietly, Lea smiled softly, bringing the girl closer to her. "You'll have to trust me. I promise I won't break your trust this time." Lea quietly muttered, bringing their foreheads together.

 

Eunji's heart rate spiked immediately as she realised their closeness. But luckily she was in fact an actress, so she managed to deliver her line. "Okay. One last chance." Jieun mumbled, hugging Lea. 

 

The 2 girls parted, happy with their progress.

 

"Shall we run through it one more time?" Chorong asked, Eunji was still recoiling from the feeling of their kiss but she managed to nod her head.

 

Both of them ran through the lines once more, choosing to skip over the kiss scene because of Eunji's hesitance. 

 

"Let's do this again tomorrow?" Chorong asked, but Eunji was quick to point out that the auditorium would be closed. "How about you come over to my house?" Eunji asked, a light pink tinting her cheeks. Chorong nodded her head, smiling at Eunji. She handed Eunji a note before walking out.

 

The note contained Chorong's number.

 

So, Eunji texted her.

 

You:

Hey.

 

Chorong:

Hey, what's up

 

You: 

The ceiling

 

Chorong:

That's so lame

 

You:

Anyway, just wanted to give you my address

 

Chorong:

Usually, you ask a girl out on a date first before you take her home

 

You:

Oh shut it

 

Chorong:

Ok ok, give it

 

You:

Xxx-xxx

 

Chorong:

Okay, see you Eunji

 

You:

See you, Chorong

 

Eunji grinned at her phone, pocketing it as she finally left the school premise, heading back to her shared dorm with Bomi.

 

 

 

"What's gotten you all smiley?" Bomi teased as she watched her roommate smile to herself like a crazy person. "Nothing!" Eunji says, laughing awkwardly. Bomi doesn't buy it for a second. "For someone who acts, you sure are bad at acting," Eunji doesn't know if she should take offense to that. Bomi laughs as she returns to her room, not before saying, "Also I hope you know there's a mirror behind you so I can see you're texting Chorong."

 

Eunji blushed, going back to her phone. She had just texted Chorong when she'd be going over the next day.

 

 

 

It was 5pm and Eunji was standing outside Chorong's dorm. With a small knock, Chorong immediately opened the door. "Hey, come in" She softly greeted, gesturing for Eunji to come inside. Eunji smiled, walking into the house.

 

Chorong informed Eunji that her dorm mate - Wendy - would be out. Something about a date with a girl named Irene. But Eunji didn't really care. She sat on the couch in the living room, waiting for Chorong.

 

The 2 girls had some small talk before moving to start their practice. Immediately, they switched into their characters.

 

"I'm sorry! I promise, I won't hide you. Us!" Lea said, with desperation engraved in her voice. Her shouts were met with a long silence. Jieun turned, almost to walk away. Lea grabbed the girl's hand, spinning her around and pulling her closely.

 

She stared deep into Jieun's eyes. Eunji felt her heart race, her mind clouded - forgetting to play her character as someone who hated the girl that stood in front of her. 

 

Softly, Chorong placed her lips on Eunji's. The world disappeared around Eunji, all she could focus on was the kiss - the fake kiss. 

 

Pulling apart, Eunji was as dazed as the first one. Chorong noticed but chose not to comment.

 

"I promise." Lea said with finality, and Jieun smiled. She smiled with so much hope. She trusted the girl, no matter the amount of heartbreaks. "How do I know you won't go back to…whatever." Jieun said, hesitantly making space between them. "You'll have to trust me. I promise I won't break your trust this time." Lea responded, moving closer to press their foreheads together.

 

Jieun smiled softly, "Okay, one last chance." 

 

The girls then dropped the character, Eunji letting out a huge sigh of relief. "You're all red, are you sure you've kissed someone before?" Chorong asked. Eunji narrowed her eyes, was she doubting her kissing abilities? 

 

"I'll have you know, I'm an amazing kisser." She retorted. "Oh you definitely are. But, you seem so flustered for a kiss with no feelings." Chorong said, her voice slightly fading towards the end as a certain realisation dawned on her.

 

"Or…are there feelings?" Chorong asked quietly, taking a hesitant step closer to Eunji. Eunji nervously took in a shaky breath, now this. This was much worse than what they had done in acting. 

 

Eunji hesitantly looked into Chorong's eyes, glancing up to the door - she wondered if she could book it out of here and never talk to the girl again. But she wasn't going to run.

 

"I…" Eunji began, the words dying in as soon as she began. "There are feelings Chorong. ing hell, I like you. A whole ing lot. And you don't, you hate me." Eunji said, her voice cracking as her arms went limp to her side. 

 

"Eunji-" Chorong wanted to talk but Eunji went on. "Cause you've never liked me? I mean how could you? I can't even do this properly! I'm just-" "Eunji no-" "I'm just someone who can't pull themself together to do a ing scene with you!" "Jung Eunji!" Chorong yelled, finally stopping the rambling from Eunji.

 

"God, you're so stupid." Chorong said quietly, taking a step forward and closing the gap between them. She looked into Eunji's eyes, a small smile on her face. "May I?" All Eunji could do was give a small nod as she stared breathlessly at the girl in front of her.

 

Chorong's eyes fluttered shut, connecting her lips to Eunji's. This time, there were no character bounds, no script, no walls. Just, them.

 

Chorong backed away from Eunji, sensing that the girl was still processing what had happened.

 

"You kissed me." Eunji said, more so to tell herself that. "Yes, I did." Chorong replied, chuckling at Eunji's confusion. "So you like me?"

 

"No, I kissed you for fun." Chorong jokes, but she was quick to reach out to Eunji when she realised the girl didn't take it as a joke."Hey, hey that was a joke. I like you. A lot.

 

Eunji's eyes brightened, a big smile plastered on her face. "So, are you my girlfriend now?" Eunji asked. Chorong laughed as she placed a chaste kiss on Eunji's lips, causing the raven haired to flush a deep shade of red.

 

"If that's what you want." Chorong sing-songed. And Eunji nodded, her smile widening. "That's exactly what I want." 

 

 

 

 

 

The next week was extremely stressful for Eunji, but she was glad she was dealing with everything alongside Chorong.

 

They were getting ready for the opening show, she was running around making sure everyone was dressed and ready to go. She was in such a rush, she didn't realise her girlfriend was standing in front of her till she ran straight into her.

 

"Hey, babe. You look like ." Chorong said, placing a kiss on Eunji's cheek. "Thanks." Eunji deadpanned, clearly not impressed. "I'm kidding. You look gorgeous, darling." Chorong complimented, causing Eunji to break out into one of her signature eye smiles - ones that were reserved for Chorong.

 

"I have to go make sure Bomi and Naeun aren't making out and ruining their make-up." Eunji said hurriedly, about to run away, but not before she heard Chorong say, "That could be us too."

 

"Hey, you. Why are you looking like you're gonna throw up?" Naeun said, looking at a stressed out Eunji approaching her. "Where's Bomi?" Eunji asked, frantically looking around. "Right here!" Bomi exclaimed from behind Eunji.

 

"Okay. Everyone's here. Alright, we're gonna go up in 10." Eunji mumbled, running her hands through her hair.

 

Eunji jumped when she felt a hand loop around her waist, but she immediately relaxed when she realised it was Chorong. "Now, will you stop stressing? This play will be great."

 

Eunji nodded her head, she believed Chorong. "Places people!" One of the stage crew announced to the cast.

 

Everyone rushed to go to their respective places.

 

"Shall we go, my Lea?"

 

"We shall, my Jieun."

 

The couple rushed to the stage, in their places. Recreating the first time they met.

 

And also, unironically, the first time they kissed.

 

In this very play.

 

 

"I'm sorry! I promise, I won't hide you. Us!" Lea yelled, the desperate voice compelling the audience to lean in. Jieun was prepared to run for it, glancing at the door. But Lea was quick to stop her, a hand on her wrist.

 

Pulling the girl closer to her, she looked down at the girl's lips. Jieun smiled softly, maybe. Lea leaned further in, finally connecting their lips.

 

And in that small moment, Eunji forgot about the play. Only focusing on the girl she cherished in front of her.

 

"I promise." Lea said softly, Jieun smiled but the smile morphed into a look of uncertainty. "How do I know you won't go back to…whatever." She questioned, her hand quickly retracting from Lea's as she created some distance between them.

 

"You'll have to trust me. I promise I won't break your trust this time." Lea mumbled, pleadingly looking at Jieun. "Okay, one last chance." Jieun muttered, pulling Lea in for a hug.

 

End scene.