Nakamura Kazuha. 20. A Perfect Mess.

 

Kim Chaewon. 23. A Shot In The Dark

 

On the first day, you told me
I was your twin flame from a past life
And tonight, the moon is full
So take me anywhere outside
I cannot kiss you yet, you're magic
So I'll just stare at you instead
I get insecure and panic
'Cause I know you're too pure for this

You're too good for me
I'm too bad to keep
I'm too sad, lonely
I want you only

 

Twin Flame - Machine Gun Kelly

_________________________________________________________________________________

 

Winter in Seoul has always been rather unforgiving. Frigid and harsh, not unlike the city’s very own occupants, especially towards a relative outsider like Nakamura Kazuha. It took her several months after moving from Osaka to get better situated with the overwhelming pace the Seoulites seem to live their everyday life by.

 

Everyone in this city always seemed to move too fast for Kazuha. Too…swift. As if every single individual had a better place to be at, at every given moment. The fast pace left little room for Kazuha to build meaningful connections of any kind with anyone, so more often than not she spends her free time either cafe hopping by her lonesome or drinking at her favourite bar.

 

Not exactly the exciting college life she had envisioned for herself, but she supposes drinking alone was a better alternative to drinking with a bunch of people she didn’t recognise at a random party somewhere. Kazuha was starved for affection, but she couldn’t really muster up the energy to socialise with people.

 

It was a conundrum. A problem that Kazuha should probably address.

 

One day. Maybe.

 

After a few more drinks.

 

“Don’t you have any friends, Zuha-chan?”

 

Kazuha looks up from her shot of soju and regards the woman in front of her with a look of fatigue. The owner of the bar she was currently nursing her woes in was an elderly woman who was as tiny as she was astute. Always the first to notice when Kazuha was having an off day, and always trying to get her to open up a little by nonchalantly throwing random questions and hoping one of them sticks.

 

Kazuha simply sighs. She knew Mrs. Kang has nothing but good intentions—the twinkle in the elderly woman’s eyes was caring and gentle—but she really didn’t want to be reminded of how lonely she was today. Especially not in the dead of winter. She just wanted to nurse a couple of shots and go home to her empty house and maybe cry herself to sleep just for the heck of it.

 

The elderly woman must have belatedly realised the tone her question had taken, because she seems to regret asking it a moment later. “I don’t mean anything by it. You’re just…always drinking alone.”

 

Kazuha hums in acknowledgment. Well, the observation wasn’t really wrong, it was just weird to know someone was observing her that closely.

 

“Maybe I just enjoy drinking alone.” Kazuha says after a moment of self-reflection.

 

She does have friends. Of course she has friends, everybody has friends. Unfortunately Yunjin was just a little too underaged to be a good drinking partner. Not like that has ever stopped Kazuha from seeing the girl drunk, mind you. Yunjin was an ugly drunk. All tears and garbled words.

 

“Perhaps you should consider bringing company along next time. I’m never comfortable leaving you to walk home on your own.” Mrs. Kang says, concern practically radiating out of her pores.

 

Kazuha tries to imagine walking home with a drunken Yunjin and just the mental image alone has her burying her face into the palm of her hand. She would rather get mugged at knifepoint.

 

She pulls her face away from her hand only to offer the proprietor of the establishment a warm smile in return for her kind words. “I appreciate the concern.”

 

The reply was curt and polite enough to signal to Mrs. Kang that this conversation was now over. The older woman shrugs and releases a defeated sigh.

 

“With that, anything else I can get you?”

 

Kazuha sits up, stretching and feeling her joints strain and ache with each twist and contortion. A dancer’s life takes it’s toll on one’s body.

 

“I think I’m calling it a night. I might have…” Kazuha pauses, looking at the two empty bottles of plum soju on her table. “…overdone it a little.”

 

“Not more than usual.” The woman behind the counter notes, before walking off to attend to another customer.

 

She doesn’t usually drink this much, but today she was feeling particularly troubled. Her previous monthly dance evaluation didn’t quite go to plan and her mother had fallen ill back home in Osaka. Accumulative stress, adding up to two bottles of alcohol that Kazuha had no business nursing. She looks at the time on her phone’s screen, noting how the numbers seemed to swim around out of focus.

 

It’s getting late. She should probably head back.

 

“Woah…” Kazuha stands up and almost immediately finds herself hanging onto the table for support as the world spins around her. She forgets that soju is a creeper, and now it’s finally managed to catch up to her. Two bottles on a school night was a bad idea.

 

“Want me to walk you to the station, Kazuha? It’s late.” A gentleman from the opposite table offers. They were all regular patrons here, drawn in by the bar’s quiet atmosphere and friendly owner. A camaraderie forged through liquor. Kazuha does not want to trouble anyone any further though.

 

She got herself into this mess after all.

 

“It’s fine oppa. Carry on.” She smiles warmly at the group, and they all wave her goodbye as she settles her bill.

 

With a promise to Mrs. Kang that she’ll be careful on her way to the station, Kazuha steps out of the warm bar and into the elements. The cold breeze of Seoul’s winter first hits her in the face, before wracking her entire body almost from the inside out. She grits her teeth, thankful for the alcohol inside her body that burned just enough to make the cold bearable.

 

The station was only a couple of hundred meters away. She has plenty of time before the last train, but she was admittedly tipsy and the short distance felt a lot longer when even walking in a straight line proved to be a challenge. Kazuha cursed to herself, promising to herself for the 20th time in her life that she’ll never drink again.

 

Somehow she makes it onto the train, although she wasn’t really 100% sure if she was on the correct one. Every train was the correct train when you were drunk. Trudging down the aisle Kazuha barely manages to locate the nearest open seat, although it was by the window and to get there she would have to do that awkward shimmy past a girl that was currently fast asleep.

 

Kazuha quickly looks around for another open seat but as her head turned, the entire world around her seemed to turn with it. Okay. This seat would have to do. She was far too drunk to be picky. Apologizing internally as she squeezes past the sleeping girl’s knees, Kazuha manages to make it into the seat without waking the stranger up.

 

Who knew a ballerina could still be graceful even when she was this plastered?

 

Kazuha takes a deep breath, trying to get some oxygen into her head. The stuffy train and bumpy, uneven train tracks were doing a number on her alcohol-addled brain. She closes her eyes, but that just made the rocking of the train even more pronounced. . As a last ditch effort, Kazuha decides to cast her attention out of the train’s window, gazing out onto the passing streetlights and Seoul’s cityscape at night.

 

It all just looked so vast.

 

So many people, each living their own lives. How can one not feel lonely living on their own in a place like this? Sure she has friends, but…Kazuha just needed something…something a little more. More than passing greetings and courteous smiles. Someone that could shake up her heart and make her feel like the protagonist of a romance film. Kazuha wanted a love like that.

 

And maybe it was just her manifesting it by wishing hard enough, or maybe it was a sign from up above but at that moment in a momentary gap between the passing lights outside, the train’s window was dark enough to reveal the visage of the prettiest girl Kazuha had ever seen. In her drunken stupor it took her a moment to realise that it was the sleeping girl next to her that she’s seeing reflected on the window.

 

Kazuha turns around to look. Just to see if her brain was playing a trick on her, but that wasn’t the case because the girl was pretty much there. Fast asleep in a crowded midnight train, looking like a literal fairy-tale princess straight out of a comic book. Gosh how was someone like this even real? Maybe she wasn’t. Maybe Kazuha actually was that drunk but she’s never heard of alcohol causing hallucinations to this degree before.

 

Everything about her was perfection made physical.

 

The girl’s hair, silky and black as midnight, ended just above her shoulders. Lashes, long and dark. Lips, plump and full. Kazuha was starstruck. She couldn’t say if she has ever looked at a girl in this way before, but gosh her heart was beating a little too fast for this to be anything but attraction. What a shame that she’ll probably never see this girl again after this train ride. How does she make this moment last longer?

 

It hits Kazuha then like a runaway cement mixer. Her number! She should—She should give this sleeping girl her number! Yes! What a brilliant idea her totally-not-inebriated mind has managed to concoct! Maybe with some luck, this gorgeous girl would wake up and give her a call and they could continue this some other time.

 

A microscopic voice in Kazuha’s head questioned the train of thought. Why on earth would someone call a random phone number without knowing the identity of who it belongs to? Ridiculous. But what was even more ridiculous was the amount of soju Kazuha had flowing through her body currently, whispering thoughts that made the idea sound like the best one in the world!

 

Waking up to a mystery number! What a thrill! People liked mysteries right? Maybe if she became a mystery herself, perhaps this pretty girl would like her as well! And just to add to the mystery, perhaps she should write her number directly onto this stranger’s hand! It made total sense to her. No flaws in the plan whatsoever.

 

Kazuha rummages through her bag for something to write with, but she forgot she lived in a digital age. There were no pens to be found at all, much to her dismay. Right as she was preparing to throw the entire plan away, her fingers find purchase with a thin, cylindrical object at the very depths of her bag. She pulls it out in a rush and is overjoyed to find a felt marker in her hands.

 

Perfect!

 

With writing utensil in her grasp, Kazuha chances a glance towards the sleeping girl. She swallows thickly as that gorgeous face once again threatens to steal the air right out of her lungs.

 

“H-Hello?” Kazuha tests the water, and she was satisfied when the pretty stranger stayed sleeping peacefully. She must have been exhausted to be able to sleep so soundly on a rocking train. Welp! All the better for Kazuha’s plan then! With a childish giggle she pops the cap off her Sharpie and begins scribbling her number on the expanse of skin behind the girl’s hand, between her thumb and pointer finger.

 

It was pretty hard to write properly though, because her canvas was unimaginably soft and pliant. Seriously, how was this girl’s skin so soft?! Kazuha was awestruck, enamoured by the stranger’s smooth, pale skin. In a moment of foolishness fueled by liquid courage, Kazuha tucks her marker away in her pocket and slips her own hand into the sleeping girl’s open one.

 

Her eyes widen when she realises just how…how perfect it felt. Like two pieces of a puzzle coming together to form a picture that Kazuha had no idea she was even trying to make. Why did this feel so correct? Why did their fingers interlace so perfectly with one another’s? The warmth from their palms touching was just right. Absolute madness. Kazuha swallows thickly, wondering what this beating in her chest meant.

 

She decides to look up, just to tear her eyes away from their interlocked hands because the sight was making her imagine things that she had no business imagining, but her heart drops like a steel anchor when her eyes meet another pair. Eyes a deep, dusty brown, similar to coffee grounds.

 

The stranger was awake.

 

“Hi.”

 

Kazuha blinked at the strangers simple greeting. Bloody hell what a situation to be caught in. She swallows thickly, worried that the stranger would scream or cause a scene. The alcohol induced fog in her brain clears up almost instantaneously, and it was only then that she realises just how bloody stupid she was acting in public.

 

“H-Hello.” Kazuha responds, not quite knowing what else to say. Gosh this stranger was even more beautiful when awake.

 

The dark haired beauty stays quiet for a moment, leading Kazuha to panic internally in the awkward silence. The corners of the stranger’s lips slowly pull into a small smile and those brown eyes were practically twinkling in the train’s ty lighting. “Do you need help?”

 

Okay. Weird question. Kazuha would allow it though, on account of the question-giver being so gorgeous. “…I’m good, thanks.”

 

The stranger’s eyes dart around, as if unsure. She could see the beautiful girl struggling with something and as her lips part she has Kazuha hanging onto every word that leaves it. “Could you…I mean…”

 

“Y-Yes?” Kazuha answers a little too eagerly.

 

“…Could you let go of my hand?”

 

It takes her a moment, but then the request finally settles into her brain and Kazuha looks down only to realise that indeed she was still holding hands with this stranger.

 

“Oh. Sure. Right.” Kazuha awkwardly pulls back, letting go of the beautiful stranger’s hand while her face burned with the brilliance of her greatest humiliation to date. Even drunk Kazuha knew that she had made a complete fool of herself. No wonder she’s single. She’s nothing but a walking embarrassment.

 

“The heck is this nonsense?”

 

Kazuha flinches before turning her attention back to the girl next to her and she goes into a mild panic attack upon seeing said girl scrutinising the messy marker scribbles on the back of her hand.

 

“Oh uh…” Kazuha tries to begin explaining, but this girl was so pretty she was practically intimidating.

 

“What’s this supposed to be? Is this some voodoo thing? Are you a witch?” The girl presses on further, and with every remark Kazuha feels herself shrinking away.

 

The incredulous accusation takes Kazuha off-guard. Out of everything, she absolutely did not expect to be called that. “I-I—I’m not really—“

 

“Not really a witch? Half a witch, then? Sometimes a witch? A part-time witch?”

 

“I’m not a witch!” Kazuha denies as vehemently as she could. She had no idea what delusions this girl had in her head but the stranger was so certain of this witch narrative that for a moment there she almost had a still-drunk Kazuha doubting herself.

 

Was she a witch? No, she was certain she wasn’t. An idiot, maybe. Her plan to mysteriously leave her number with this girl was gloriously biting her in the .

 

At that moment the train shudders, signalling it’s arrival at another station. Kazuha takes it as a sign that someone from up above was mercifully giving her a way out of this stupidly awkward situation and bounces to her feet without missing a beat, stepping over the stranger’s legs with impressive coordination for someone this inebriated.

 

“Hey where are you going? Is it your stop?”

 

It wasn’t. Kazuha was panicking. Without even sparing a glance over her shoulder she rushes out onto the station platform in almost a full sprint, feeling her heart only start to calm down once the train had departed. That was the end of that story. She’ll never meet that girl again probably, and admittedly that was for the better.

 

She sighs. She’s going to have to take a cab back home and at this hour and this distance, it wouldn’t be cheap. She could already feel tomorrow’s regret setting in.

 

 

*************************************

 

.

 

.

 

Her head.

 

Her poor head.

 

What on earth did she even do last night?

 

Kazuha lay on her bed, eyes open but unfocused towards the ceiling. She had to stop doing this to herself. This was (probably) the worst hangover she’s had in a while because it felt like there was a whole construction site going on inside her skull. She wanted to die. Or cry. Or both.

 

…But that would have to wait because she had classes to attend. On a frickin’ Saturday. Why did she even drink the night before? Kazuha groans at her own stupidity in self-loathing. Only someone who truly hated themselves would put themself through this much torture.

 

It took some effort, but eventually she managed to force herself out of bed and into the showers that was all of a sudden too far away from her bed. At least she didn’t have to worry about waking anybody up with her zombie-like stumbling through the apartment because she lived on her own.

 

Stepping out of the showers and into a set of fresh clothes, Kazuha groans. She wishes she didn’t have to go to classes today. With a final grunt of despair she slings the straps of her bag over her shoulders and exits her apartment. She’ll just grab breakfast on the way. As if the universe wanted to play it’s weird tricks on her, coincidentally her front door closes behind her at the exact same time her neighbour’s door closes as well, creating a loud sound that further exacerbated her hangover.

 

Splitting headache aside, it was actually a rather convenient coincidence. Kazuha has never actually met her neighbour, so albeit being half a year late this was a chance for her to introduce herself to the person living next to her. She casually turns around, a pleasant smile on her face, ready to greet her neighbour, only to be blown away by the sheer baffling beauty of the girl standing there.

 

What the hell. Was Kazuha still drunk? This girl was practically radiant!

 

…radiantly familiar. Where has she seen this girl before? Surely she’d remember bumping into someone this pretty? Kazuha squints to get a better look at the girl, while she sees her neighbour’s eyes widen in what could only be assumed was recognition.

 

“It’s the witch!”

 

Ah.

 

Everything comes back to her like an out of control milk truck. The thrill of bumping into a beautiful stranger on a late night train ride, and the burning embarrassment of how that train ride ended. What are the odds. What are the bloody odds that very same neighbour lives right next door to her? How has she never even once bumped into this girl throughout her entire tenure of staying here, but the one time she does meet her neighbour is on the day after she was caught doing something that was a prime candidate for Top 3 Most Embarrassing Moments of her life?

 

Kazuha wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole, but of course her luck would not work that way. Instead she decides to address her neighbour and the way the girl was screaming “witch!” like she had just been caught walking on water in the Medieval Ages.

 

“I’m not. I’m really not.” Kazuha sighs weakly, watching as her neighbour continues to freak out.

 

“I live next door to a witch! Are you stalking me?! Is that why you marked me with this voodoo-ritualistic-rune thing?!” The girl asks Kazuha, pointing to the black scribbles adorning the back of said girl’s hand, slightly faded from what looks to be failed attempts at removing it. Kazuha’s cheeks burned in embarrassment and recognition.

 

“That’s my phone number. I had the bright idea of writing my phone number on you.” Kazuha explains, but to be honest she kinda understood where the stranger was coming from. Her drunken self had terrible penmanship.

 

Her neighbour scrutinises the dark writing, eyes squinting as she holds her hand mere inches away from her own face. “In which way is this a….oh I guess I kinda see it? Would you look at that…? You have horrible handwriting.”

 

Embarrassment and shame started to make room for mild annoyance. “I was drunk. Give me a break. I’m sorry for scribbling on your hand, and I’m not stalking you. I’ve been living here for half a year.”

 

The stranger eyes her funnily, head tilted slightly to the side as if she wasn’t convinced. “Funny how we never crossed paths then.”

 

“Yeah. Funny.” Kazuha almost snorts at the obvious statement. “I wouldn’t have used some roundabout way to give you my number if I had known you lived right next to me. I would’ve just dropped it into your mailbox or something.”

 

“What’s this part at the end here then? This scribble? Did you suffer a midway through writing?” The beautiful stranger points to a section of untidy penmanship, and Kazuha immediately turns a violent shade of crimson.

 

God why did she leave such an ugly stain on the back of such a pretty girl’s hand?

 

Kazuha hesitates, too embarrassed to admit what that ugly scribble was. “T-That’s my name.”

 

A brief moment of silence. One that seemed to last an eternity, before the other girl squints harder and tries to make sense of the untidy scrawl marring the back of her hand. “….Ha? Yachuha? Chihuahua…?”

 

“Kazuha.”

 

“Kazuha.” The girl repeats with a raised eyebrow, a little uncertainly. Kazuha tried to ignore the butterflies in her gut from hearing her name leaving those full lips.

 

“First year, dance major in Kookmin University, Nakamura Kazuha. 20 years old. Nice to meet you.” Kazuha says with a shy smile despite trying her best to appear confident.

 

“…Not a witch.” She belatedly adds, causing the stranger in front of her to chuckle slightly. Melodic and light, Kazuha could get used to hearing it.

 

“Sounds like something a witch would say.” The stranger says with a playful grin. She makes a show of dramatically clearing , and the dorkiness of it all brought a smile to Kazuha’s face.

 

“Final year, majoring in business at Seokyeong University, in the springtime of her youth, Kim Chaewon. 23 years old. Nice to meet you.”

 

The stranger—Chaewon—extends a hand out in greeting, and Kazuha might have been a little too eager to accept it. Was it out of pocket for Kazuha to say that Chaewon’s name was probably the most beautiful name she’s ever heard? Granted she’s met other Chaewon’s before today, but this Chaewon was special. This Chaewon was gorgeous and confident and…and just wow. This Chaewon was the very definition of wow.

 

“…You don’t know who I am, do you?”

 

The question shakes Kazuha out of her own head. Has she met Chaewon before? As in before the train ride last night? It didn’t ring any bells. Surely she would remember bumping into someone like Chaewon before, the girl looked far from your average girl. Kazuha thoroughly racks her brain but she comes out empty.

 

“Am I supposed to?” Kazuha finally asks, trying her best to be polite about it.

 

If it was any consolation, Chaewon did not seem even the slightest bit offended. Instead the girl just shook her head and chuckled softly, as if she had just heard a joke that only she was privy to.

 

“Do you have anything to do today?”

 

Today? Toda—oh — “I have classes to attend.” Kazuha says in sudden realisation. “…And I’m late for them.”

 

“First getting off the Metro at the wrong stop, and now late for classes? You’re quite ditzy aren’t you?” Chaewon teases, arms crossed in front of her chest as she leaned on the door to her own apartment. Chaewon probably thought she looked cool, posing like that.

 

Kazuha would never admit that she DID look cool.

 

Also Kazuha could only grumble in disdain at Chaewon’s claim of her being a ditz because on both of those aforementioned occasions Chaewon herself was somehow involved and/or at fault. The added embarrassment of Chaewon calling her out for prematurely alighting the train the previous night did not help to make her grumble less.

 

There was a lull in their conversation, and Kazuha was suddenly reminded that she had other places to be. Although she wasn’t too keen on the idea of attending classes on a weekend, she’d take it as a lifeline if it meant escaping this awkward interaction.

 

“I have to go to class, so uh…See you around, Chaewon-ssi.”

 

Chaewon hums in acknowledgment, and that was that. Kazuha turns away to begin walking towards the elevators, hangover all but gone and replaced with a different kind of headache. One that stemmed from absolute embarrassment.

 

“Don’t voodoo any other sleeping girls on your way back this time, Zuha-ssi!”

 

Chaewon’s playful giggles echo throughout the narrow hallway from a ways behind her. It takes everything inside her being to stop herself from turning around and responding to the teasing. That wouldn’t be good. Just walk away with whatever shreds of dignity she still had left.

 

Zuha-ssi.

 

Huh. What the hell.

 

 

*******************************

 

 

It bothers her more than she would like it to.

 

She couldn’t even focus on her class because her thoughts were back home, which she had just learned was right next door to the prettiest girl she had ever had the fortune of defacing with a bold Sharpie.

 

Kazuha was a myriad of different emotions, each one coming to her throughout the day like a fleeting gust of wind, but the one that did stick with her and weighed her down was that of guilt. Guilt for what the drunken version of her did to such a gorgeous girl.

 

Kazuha buries her face in her hands. Gosh how dare she desecrate such beautiful skin with her GOD-AWFUL drunken doodling?! She should be smited! Or punished! A lightning bolt should come down from the heavens and strike her down where she is sitting because she did not deserve to walk on this earth so peacefully after ruining one of God’s greatest creations with a stupid felt marker.

 

She groans. Luckily for her she was in a cafe full of people, and her sad whale noises were being drowned out by the sounds of chatter, cutleries and her friends complaining about trivial things like the size of pastries being served or something like that.

 

“—but can’t you make this smaller? There’s no freakin’ way a normal human being can finish this!”

 

“It’s for sharing. Something you know very little about, Yunjin-ah.”

 

Trivial. None of them knew of the turmoil Kazuha was currently facing internally. Her friends, Yunjin and Sakura, would undoubtedly only make her feel even worse by making fun of her if they knew of what she did. Especially Yunjin. The younger girl was a sweetheart at times, a complete git and menace at most other times.

 

They were arguably her only friends here in Seoul.

 

She had met Yunjin through the both of them being in Kookmin University’s Art Department, except where Kazuha majored in dance, Yunjin studied Theatre. Sakura was the eldest of the three and the proprietor of the bakery she and Yunjin would frequently visit after classes. Sakura had gotten closer to Kazuha due to the both of them being Japanese, whereas Yunjin had gotten closer to the older Japanese girl through her sheer love of pastries.

 

It was a weird dynamic indeed, but it worked. They worked. Kazuha wonders if her debacle from the previous night could have been avoided if she had asked for Yunjin to accompany her.

 

…Remembering the last time she had to babysit an inebriated Yunjin, Kazuha shakes the thought away. Never again.

 

“Help me out here Kazoo. Tell Kkura-unnie she needs to portion her doughnuts better. She listens to you.” Yunjin whines as she turns to her friend, only to notice that her friend’s face was still buried in her own hands. “…are you okay dude?”

 

Kazuha looks up, seeing both Yunjin and Sakura staring at her with worried expressions. She does her best to put on a shaky smile.

 

“Just…Just don’t order the doughnuts then. Or maybe consider actually sharing some with me.”

 

All the worry evaporated from Yunjin’s face like ice in a volcano, being replaced with one of the most scandalised expressions Kazuha has ever seen the girl wear.

 

“No way! Do you know how expensive these are?! I’m a broke college student so when I splurge, I splurge! All for me!”

 

“You could just order something different. I’m especially proud of the new recipe I came up with for our Red Velvet cake. It’s just enough to feed one person and it’s catered to broke college students.” Sakura says as she shakes her head at Yunjin’s ridiculousness.

 

Cake. Kazuha perks up at that.

 

“Is it good?” She finds herself asking Sakura, and the older girl puffs her chest out proudly.

 

“It’s amazing! Would you doubt me?”

 

Kazuha wouldn’t. She would never doubt Sakura’s baking skills, nor the proud grin being worn on that face.

 

A delicious cake…

 

She ponders the possibilities.

 

 

 

*************************************************
 

 

 

Kazuha shuffles her feet impatiently, waiting for some form of courage to arrive and settle into her body.

 

None has arrived so far. She has been standing outside of this door for almost 15 minutes, carrying with her the largest slice of Red Velvet cake she could finesse from Sakura’s bakery. Multiple times she has brought up her hand, trying to close the distance between her knuckles and the door’s wooden surface but that small inch of space might as well have been kilometres wide.

 

Gosh why was she so socially awkward? All she had to do was just—was just knock on the door! Knock on it, like she’s knocked on many other doors before! Don’t be ridiculous Kazuha! You can’t be standing out here forever! Just—Just knock on the damn—

 

BANG!

 

Wait—

 

Oh fuc—

 

Kazuha’s eyes widen when she realizes her entire fist was lodged in Chaewon’s front door.

 

She had—She just punched the door! Oh god why was she like this?! She just wanted to knock gently on the door like a normal human being but why did she end up punching it?? Kazuha whined to herself, trying desperately to yank her fist out of the door but she somehow managed to wedge it just deep enough that she couldn’t extract her hand without causing further damage to the wooden surface.

 

She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to—oh hey the door is opening—

 

Kazuha’s entire body stills in realisation.

 

Oh the door is bloody opening.

 

The door swings open slowly. Inwards, so that it pulls away from Kazuha’s fist and somehow that gentle movement was what helped dislodge her hand from the door. On the other side of the doorway, looking as beautiful as she did when Kazuha first drunkenly approached her, was one Kim Chaewon.

 

Chaewon’s eyes darted between Kazuha’s fist, and the new hole in her front door that was shaped suspiciously like Kazuha’s fist. It didn’t take a lot to put two and two together.

 

“Hi.” Kazuha offers weakly, a shaky smile on her face.

 

“Zuha? The heck? Why didn’t you just ring the doorbell?”

 

Kazuha’s eyes go to the small plastic button that Chaewon was currently pointing to, and she wanted to jump right off the building’s rooftop. They have a doorbell? Why doesn’t her house come with a doorbell? Was that an added feature?

 

“I…don’t know.”

 

Chaewon was quiet for a moment, slowly raising an immaculate eyebrow to see if Kazuha was purposely trying to be a nuisance in her life or was it all an accidental mess. She must have finally settled on the latter answer because her expression eventually softened into one that was almost happy to see the Japanese girl in front of her. “I see… Well, to what do I owe this pleasure?”

 

“I have a peace offering, I guess.” Kazuha says, gesturing to the cardboard box in her other hand. “Is this a bad time?”

 

Chaewon takes one look at the cardboard box before smiling warmly. Kazuha can’t get over how pretty the older girl’s smile was. Bright enough to temporarily make Kazuha forget about her aching knuckles. “Never a bad time for a peace offering, although you might need to work on the peaceful part.” Chaewon remarks snidely, gesturing to the hole in her door. “Wanna come in?”

 

With an embarrassed flush on her cheeks, Kazuha nods and Chaewon steps aside so that the Japanese girl could walk past her into the apartment.

 

The general layout of the apartment’s interior itself was almost a mirrored carbon copy or Kazuha’s next door, except the way the tenants of each household chose to furnish their homes couldn’t be more different. Kazuha’s was minimal, almost bordering on empty, due to aesthetical choices and the fact that she’s only been living in it for half a year. Chaewon’s was…

 

Full.

 

Framed posters decorating the walls, live plants taking up almost every corner, furniture that looked homely and well-lived in…It was hard to describe a home as warm and soft, but that was exactly how Kazuha would describe it. It was then that she notices another thing this apartment has that hers doesn’t; another occupant.

 

Seated crosslegged on the three-seater sofa, laptop in her lap and silky black hair framing her small face…Kazuha’s heart stills in momentary panic. The girl on the sofa was gorgeous. What was her relation to Chaewon? Surely it meant something for two beautiful women to live together like this?

 

“That’s Kim Minju, my roommate and friend. Don’t mind her, she just exists in this place. She’s good for rent and nothing much else.” Chaewon answers, as if reading Kazuha’s mind. The Japanese girl notes that Chaewon didn’t have to add the friend line, and she must have done it just for Kazuha’s benefit.

 

Friend. A beautiful friend, but still just a friend. Kazuha was almost ashamed for how relieved she felt.

 

Minju scoffs when she overhears Chaewon’s derogatory description of her. “I make the place look good just by being here. You have a new friend?”

 

Chaewon acknowledges Minju’s self-praise with a simple scoff. “She’s our neighbour. Remember the weird girl I met on the train that I was telling you about? Turns out she lives next door!”

 

Minju’s eyes practically light up. “Oh the witch?!”

 

“Yeah! The witch!”

 

“She lives next door? That’s a creepy coincidence!”

 

Chaewon had just agreed with her roommate on just how creepy of a coincidence it was when Kazuha decides to interrupt by clearing . With Minju and Chaewon’s attention on her, Kazuha recites the speech she had carefully prepared on the train ride back here.

 

“I came to offer a cake. It’s an apology cake. I’m sorry for causing you distress during our first meeting. And sorry about your door.” Kazuha says as she faces Chaewon, bowing down in an almost perfect 90 degree angle to express her regret. “…and I also did not consider the possibility of you having a roommate Chaewon-ssi, so the cake might be a little small.”

 

“Our door? What happened to our door?” Minju questions, but whether intentional or not Chaewon expertly deflects the question for Kazuha.

 

“Yeesh. So formal. Just take a seat Zuha. Hang out for a bit. Make yourself comfortable.”

 

Chaewon gestures towards the plethora of couches decorating her living room, and Kazuha gingerly sits down on the closest one.

 

Plush. It was a random thought, but this household had good taste in comfortable furniture.

 

Things were getting awkward though. Oh gosh Kazuha didn’t really think things through. She just wanted to deliver her apology cake, she didn’t really consider what to do once said cake was successfully delivered. Should she come up with a random topic of conversation? What if she asked a question that was too sensitive? Suddenly Kazuha was hyper aware just how limited her grasp of the Korean language was. She’s only been here for a few months after all—

 

“You’re disgustingly pretty, Zuha-ssi.” Minju breaks the silence with a sledgehammer.

 

Chaewon groans, throwing her hands up in the air while staring incredulously at her blunt roommate. “Well! So much for making her comfortable!”

 

“We were both thinking it!”

 

“Can’t you be just a little more tactful about it though?”

 

“I panicked. I’m not used to NOT being the prettiest face in the room.” Minju laughs. Light. Airy and pretty. Kazuha was certain there weren’t many crimes that Minju could not get away with while laughing and looking like that.

 

Chaewon gives her roommate a scathing sideways glance. “…I literally live with you.”

 

“You’re mid at best. 7 out of 10 on a good day.”

 

“What!” Chaewon smacks her palms on the coffee table out of sheer mortification.

 

“6 out of 10 with make up on.”

 

“It got lower?!”

 

Once again, Kazuha finds herself awkwardly caught in the middle between these two bickering roommates. So engrossed were they in their conversation, that Kazuha failed to find a window to insert herself in between so she does that thing that had proven to work effectively the first time;

 

She clears .

 

Both girls looked sheepish as they suddenly remembered that they had a guest in their home.

 

“I think the both of you are very gorgeous women, if it means anything.”

 

Silence, as they looked at Kazuha with…adoring expressions? Wait did she read that emotion correctly? That didn’t seem right, but there was no denying the stars in their eyes as they regarded Kazuha as if she was the centrepiece in an art gallery.

 

“Unnie. I call dibs.” Minju says flatly, setting up another round of bickering.

 

“You can’t call dibs! She gave her number to me!”

 

“Only because she met you first!”

 

“Don’t be childish about this, Kim Minju! Accept your defeat with grace and honour!” Chaewon rises to her feet, pointing a finger to Minju who stares at the appendage as if it had just insulted her entire lineage.

 

“Urgh fine! I’m going to my room to finish up some assignments then!” Minju throws her hands up in defeat, mimicking Chaewon in rising to her feet but she stops to give Kazuha a wink before she walks off. “It was great meeting you, Zuha-ssi. Don’t be a stranger.”

 

Oh she won’t. She will definitely try her best not to be a stranger. Gosh Minju was gorgeous. Sure she came here for Chaewon but who could blame her for blushing when someone that pretty winks at her? Chaewon herself practically hissed at her roommate upon seeing the flirty gesture while Minju walks away with a villainous laugh.

 

This household was dangerous.

 

Too many pretty people.

 

Kazuha should come better prepared the next time.

 

She is broken out of her thoughts by the sound of Chaewon patting the empty spot next to her on the couch. “Come. Sit.”

 

“I’m not a dog.” Kazuha grumbles.

 

“Yeah. A dog wouldn’t injure her hand punching my door. Come.”

 

She sees what Chaewon has in her hands. A small box of bandages, making Kazuha wonder where the older girl managed to pull that out from. Suddenly reminded of the stinging in her knuckles, Kazuha relents and moves to sit down next to Chaewon.

 

The older girl takes her hand, thankfully ignoring the involuntary hitching of Kazuha’s breath upon their skin making contact. There was no way Chaewon didn’t notice it. She wonders if Chaewon could also feel her heartbeat going haywire just through touching her hand. Was it obvious? Does Chaewon know?

 

The older girl makes a face upon seeing the state of Kazuha’s knuckles. Through the adrenaline and excitement she herself didn’t seem to notice it but now that everything had winded down and that Kazuha was HYPER sensitive and was paying too much attention to her hand and how Chaewon was gently holding it, Kazuha couldn’t ignore how the cuts on her knuckles freaking STUNG.

 

Clicking her tongue, Chaewon gets to work on applying bandages to the Japanese girl’s injured hand. Kazuha wasn’t sure if it was out of embarrassment from how this situation even happened, or if it was due to how soft and gentle Chaewon was being to her, but her face was beginning to heat up into a furious blush.

 

“…Thanks.”

 

Chaewon’s eyes flicker upwards towards Kazuha and she chuckles. “Don’t thank me yet. I’m pretty bad at this.”

 

She was telling the truth. The bandages were placed on her knuckles like a 5 year old’s scrapbooking project.

 

“…and sorry again for your door.”

 

“I didn’t like that one anyways. Always wanted to change it.”

 

It was Kazuha’s turn to chuckle. Chaewon was polite. As sweet as she was pretty. Kazuha could feel her knees hurting from just how hard she was falling for the girl.

 

“So. Question.” Chaewon says, suddenly patting Kazuha’s thighs and causing the girl to jolt up in surprise. She didn’t even realise that Chaewon had finished up with her bandaging, so enraptured she was in the older girl’s long eyelashes and the scent of her shampoo.

 

“Go ahead.”

 

Chaewon narrows her eyes, playfully jabbing a slender finger into Kazuha’s shoulder. “If you’re wealthy, why choose to live in this building? Not exactly the best of options, is it?”

 

Huh.

 

That question was definitely unexpected. Perhaps this was a test? “How are you so sure about my finances?”

 

Chaewon scoffs. Kazuha realises it wasn’t a test.

 

“Puh-lease. You’re draped in designer clothes and the watch on your wrist alone could probably buy 4 of these apartment units. The fact you forgot that I have a roommate leads me to believe that you’re living alone in your place next door, and decrepit as this place may be, there ain’t no way a normal person can afford to pay the rent all by her lonesome.”

 

Chaewon finishes her careful dismantling of Kazuha’s entire person, and for a moment the girl was stunned. It was a gross overestimation of course. Sure the Cartier watch on her wrist was worth a lot of money, but not enough to buy an apartment unit. A brand new KIA Carnival, maybe.

 

“Are you a detective?” Kazuha asks, half seriously. Just how closely had Chaewon been observing her?

 

The older girl just smiles cheekily while shrugging. “Depends. How did I score?”

 

“7 out of 10. 6, with makeup.” Kazuha repeats Minju’s earlier diss, effectively wiping the smug grin off Chaewon’s face.

 

“Wait till you see me with makeup on, before saying that.”

 

“When?”

 

Chaewon must have thought that she had misheard Kazuha’s question, because she stares at the girl with a mixture of surprise and bewilderment. She tilts her head in confusion, being effortlessly adorable with such a simple gesture.

 

“When will I get to see you with makeup on?” Kazuha tries again, holding her breath as she extends an invitation out to the prettiest girl she has ever met.

 

It takes a few brief seconds more for Chaewon to register the question and the implications hidden behind it, but eventually the message finds it’s mark and the older girl’s beautiful eyes twinkle like starlight in realisation. Kazuha doesn’t make it a habit of asking other people out. Her introverted personality doesn’t actually make it easy for her to initiate the first move.

 

With that being said, this has been the most proactive Kazuha has ever been. There was just something about Chaewon that made her want to approach her. Anything to get closer to her. She wouldn’t show up to just anybody’s doorstep in the middle of the night with cake. She wouldn’t just randomly write her number down on any stranger’s hand.

 

Chaewon has her acting out of character. Kazuha prays her hopes weren’t misplaced.

 

After a long silence; bordering on being almost uncomfortable, the smug expression finds it’s way back onto Chaewon’s face. The girl tucks a lock of her own short black hair behind her adorable ear. “It would have to be something fancy. Like a dinner. At a restaurant, and not a roadside stall. No sense wearing make up just to eat at stalls.”

 

Kazuha resists the urge to laugh out loud at the older girl’s obvious attempt at playing coy. As if 90% of the Korean population doesn’t put on makeup just to fetch their mail, but Kazuha decides to humour the girl.

 

“Coffee? Tomorrow afternoon?”

 

Chaewon giggles melodically, knowingly wiggling her eyebrows. “Someones eager to go on a date with me.”

 

W-Wha—

 

Kazuha sputters in embarrassment. “I-I didn’t even—“

 

“Just messing with you, Zuha. You’re fun to tease.”

 

Chaewon was laughing. Kazuha had never before heard anything more melodic, and even if it was at her own expense the Japanese girl couldn’t help but feel a tinge of happiness that it was her that caused Chaewon to laugh.

 

Gosh the girl was beautiful.

 

“And you’re mean, Chaewon-ssi.” Kazuha says with a pout, although she really wasn’t upset at all. Far from it.

 

She would gladly be the of Chaewon’s jokes if it meant that the girl would get that big of a kick out of it.

 

“How does Chaewon-unnie sound? I think it sounds better, don’t you?”

 

Kazuha lights up at that. Was it Chaewon’s way of trying to lift up Kazuha’s mood? An apology for making fun of her? She rolls the honorific around in her brain. A sentiment of closeness that Kazuha didn’t think they were ready for.

 

Unnie.

 

Chaewon unnie.

 

“It does sound better. Chaewon-unnie. I like it.” Kazuha says, and just the taste of Chaewon’s name on her lips brought a smile onto her face.

 

Her eyes flicker towards the older girl occupying the seat next to her and she too was smiling, as if the owner of that name approves of how it sounds when spoken with Kazuha’s voice. Like two fools they sat in that living room, bathing in silence, no words being exchanged between them but a shy smile worn on each of their faces.

 

“You’d better go. It’s only the first day and I’m already growing too fond of your smile.” Chaewon jokes, finally breaking the comfortable silence that had permeated the spaces between and around them.

 

“That sounds like a day 3 thing, you’re right.” Kazuha replies, and laughs when Chaewon playfully shoves her.

 

“Cheeky. Off you go, pretty little witch! And take your magic spells away with you!”

 

Amongst a fit of laughter, Kazuha bids her new friend farewell. She had no idea if Sakura’s cake even tasted good, but she leaves Chaewon’s apartment full of relief that she managed to retract some of the damage done by her drunken self.

 

Gosh Chaewon was a dream come true. Chaewon’s got her squealing into her pillow and kicking her feet in giddy mirth. Perhaps Chaewon was the witch, and Kazuha had somehow been slipped a magic potion because she has never before fallen for somebody this quickly.

 

It was unfamiliar.

 

Simultaneously, it was exciting and new.

 

 

**************************************

 

 

Admittedly Kazuha didn’t know of many places to go to in Seoul. She was a creature of habit, so she would often frequent the same establishments if it worked out for her the first time. With that being said though, there were a few places Kazuha knew of that the girl could confidently say were special.

 

This bakery, tucked away in one of the many twisting back alleys near Hyehwa Station, was one of the little secrets that Kazuha keeps close to her chest. She had stumbled upon it accidentally when she had first come to the city, and together with Yunjin she would find herself coming here after classes at least three times a week for the past six months.

 

She had even managed to build quite a close friendship with the bakery’s proprietor, Miyawaki Sakura, who is also from her homeland of Japan. It was like a taste of familiarity, finding Japanese poise and hospitality while she’s miles away from home.

 

And now she has chosen to share this location with another person. A girl—a beautiful girl—whom she had just only met but something about it felt right. Despite said girl being a few minutes tardy from their agreed meeting time. It wasn’t much of a bother however. Kazuha had just spent the past half hour sitting by the counter and catching up with Sakura, telling the older girl all about this wonderful person she had met on the train a few nights ago while conveniently omitting all other embarrassing details.

 

The bell by the door chimes, signalling the arrival of a new patron and Kazuha looks up to see a familiar face finally making her way into the bakery. Short jet-black hair messy from the way the girl had obviously been rushing, but still looking like the human embodiment of a wonderful daydream regardless. Chaewon’s eyes scanned the relatively empty bakery and they lit up upon finding Kazuha waving at her.

 

“Sorry for being late! I couldn’t find this place. Hidden little spot, isn’t it?” Chaewon apologizes cutely, approaching Kazuha and stopping awkwardly within feet of her.

 

Neither of them really knew what to do. Do they shake hands? Do they…does Kazuha dare go in for a HUG? Is it some measure of comfort that Chaewon seemed to be suffering from the same kind of dilemma? The inner turmoil faced by both girls proved to be short lived when Sakura finally spoke up to break the two from their awkward stalemate.

 

“Apologies for choosing such a secluded location to set up shop. Rent is cheaper when it’s hidden.” Sakura chuckles, and Chaewon is startled as she was suddenly made aware of the older girl behind the counter. “Hello, Chaewon-nim. It’s not everyday a celebrity finds their way into my humble little cafe.”

 

Chaewon laughs, bowing politely. “Hardly a celebrity, but I’ll enjoy the moniker nonetheless! You have a beautiful looking place—“ the girl pauses to squint at the metal tag pinned to the baker’s front pocket. “—Sakura-nim!”

 

Kazuha looked at the two interact in confusion. Wait did she ever introduce Chaewon to Sakura? How did…what was…??

 

“Do you two know each other?” Kazuha blurts out uncertainly. Why was Sakura looking at her all confused like that? Kazuha should be the one that was confused. Why did Sakura call Chaewon a celebrity? Was there something she wasn’t aware of?

 

Chaewon giggles while shaking her head, lightly patting Sakura on the arm as she did so. “She doesn’t know.”

 

A switch flips in Sakura’s head and her eyes widen a smidgen before her expression settles into one of gentle understanding. She nods and laughs along with Chaewon to an inside joke that was only shared to the both of them.

 

Kazuha was still completely confused.

 

“Of course she doesn’t. I’m not all that surprised, to be completely honest. Why don’t you take a seat, and I’ll be by your table shortly to take your order.” Sakura gestures to an empty booth, tucked away in the shop’s back corner.

 

“Don’t we usually order up front at the counter?”  Kazuha asks, confusion further amplified when she sees Sakura walking ahead to place two small booklets onto the table before them. “You have a menu? What is this, an establishment?”

 

Sakura clicks her tongue and flicks Kazuha’s forehead when she walks past, causing the younger of the two to laugh. Okay, so Sakura was acting all proper all of a sudden. As if this bakery was suddenly a five star hatted restaurant. Kazuha narrows her eyes as she slips into the booth, eyeing Chaewon as the girl seats herself on the opposite side.

 

The stupidly proud grin Chaewon had on her face was as infuriating as it was adorable.

 

“I’m not going to ask.” Kazuha says firmly, causing Chaewon to almost cackle. The older girl leans forward on her elbows, her smile a mile wide.

 

“Don’t you want to? Aren’t you feeling even the slightest bit curious?”

 

“I’m VERY curious, but I’ll refuse to ask anyways.” She will not give Chaewon the satisfaction. Maybe she just wanted to be a little bratty. Bask in the short joy of denying Chaewon her little victory.

 

“What if she knows me for a nefarious reason? What if I’m a criminal? Wanted and notorious!”

 

“A wanted criminal wouldn’t be falling asleep on a train all by herself. Besides, Kkura-unnie called you a celebrity.” At the mention of the moniker, Chaewon rolls her eyes playfully.

 

“People exaggerate.” Chaewon crosses her arms in front of her, obviously annoyed that Kazuha was not eating into any of her lures. “I do have an online presence though. You could look me up and I’ll pretend to look the other way.”

 

Kazuha raises an eyebrow, while Chaewon wiggles hers. God this girl was so adorably infuriating. Regardless, she pulls up her phone and begins typing in the older girl’s name, wondering just how many Kim Chaewon’s would pop up in the search results and how many pages deep she would have to scroll before she found anybody even remotely close to resembli—

 

“Oh.”

 

The first result.

 

The Kim Chaewon on her phone’s screen was a lot younger, but it was still undeniably the same person. The search results didn’t just link to social media platforms, but articles from news sites and even various websites detailing Chaewon’s biography and list of accomplishments.

 

Kim Chaewon. Actress.

 

Several hundred thousand Instagram followers. It does appear to be that Kazuha was sitting across from a celebrity of sorts. She peers over her phone, and the beautiful but admittedly derpy girl was looking back at her expectantly.

 

“Well? Impressed yet?” Chaewon asked, impatiently and excitedly drumming her fingers onto the dining table’s polished surface. She looked like an anxious puppy waiting for a treat.

 

She didn’t seem like a celebrity. Kazuha narrows her eyes in suspicion.

 

“Two rookie acting awards is…not what I was expecting. How long ago was this?”

 

Chaewon hummed in thought. “Well, it was when I was 11, so—“

 

“—so a really long time then?”

 

“Cheeky. I’m not that old!”

 

Kazuha laughed as Chaewon huffed and pouted in complaint. It was fun teasing the girl, if these adorable reactions were what she got back as a result. Kazuha returns her attention back to her phone’s screen.

 

“Why did you stop? Things looked to be going good for you.” She asks Chaewon as she scrolls through the list of accomplishments and accolades the apparent actress had garnered throughout her career, up until the last update around 8 years ago.

 

Chaewon shrugged. “Nobody wants to work when they’re 11 years old, Zuha. I wanted to play around with my friends, and my parents weren’t opposed to the idea of their only daughter having an actual childhood, so the moment I wasn’t feeling it anymore we just decided to drop it.”

 

Sakura comes by to take their order, temporarily halting their conversation and allowing Kazuha time to properly digest the slew of information that had just been dumped into her lap. It takes some courage to simply just walk away from that life after seeing so much success. Did Chaewon actually not enjoy it? Did she ever think about picking it back up during these 8 years of inactivity?

 

Sakura walks away after collecting their menus, giving a polite nod to the both of them before disappearing into the kitchen. That leaves her with just Chaewon again and Kazuha figures there was no harm diving headfirst into the question that had been sitting on the tip of her tongue.

 

“Do you ever regret it?”

 

Even without explaining what she meant by “it”, Chaewon understands the inquiry completely. As if she had been asked the question a hundred times prior.

 

“I might not have met you if I had continued on. I wouldn’t be living next door to you, and you wouldn’t have been able to me while I was sleeping in a train.” Chaewon adds that last part with a laugh and Kazuha could only roll her eyes at the obvious jab.

 

“I did NOT you. And I’m guessing you do regret it then?”

 

“Oh no, I do not regret it one bit! I got to meet you because I’m not an uppity celebrity! I enjoy having a beautiful neighbour like you, and I certainly am not opposed to you groping me.” This time Chaewon emphasises that last part with a suggestive wink, making Kazuha choke on her coffee.

 

“Unnie. Please. My heart.” She manages to get out through her coughing fit, tears in her eyes while Chaewon laughs at her misery.

 

Kim Chaewon will be the death of her. One way or another, this girl will find a way to end her life, Kazuha was sure of it.

 

“So.” Chaewon starts, and Kazuha looks up at the older girl with eyes still watery, waiting for her to continue.

 

“Now that you know about my past…tell me about yourself. I wanna know more about you.”

 

Chaewon leans forward across the table, brown eyes bright and inquisitive as if the girl seated across from her was the most interesting part of this bakery. That cheeky smile never left the short-haired girl’s face, and Kazuha finds herself mirroring the smile with one of her own.

 

“What do you want to know?”

 

They begin talking in earnest. Kazuha tells Chaewon all about her upbringing, about Osaka and how she ended up in Seoul, while the latter fills her in on how she even started acting in the first place. The knowledge that Kim Chaewon was actually an influential person, someone that by right Kazuha had no right even befriending, didn’t seem to change anything in their relationship. It goes to show that the former child/teen actress did not hold her celebrity status up on a pedestal.

 

She was down to Earth.

 

As humble as she was charming.

 

Towards the end of their two hour long conversation Kazuha finds her cheeks sore from the smile never falling from her face, made even better when she notices Chaewon massaging her own with a giggle. Surely Kazuha had inadvertently sent the world into disarray by making Chaewon smile for that long? For 2 entire hours the world was introduced to a source of light brighter than the sun.

 

Kazuha did not feel guilty about it one bit.

 

Chaewon asks if she was ready to go, and Kazuha regretfully says yes. There was nothing much left for them to do at this cafe, and the actual sun had set about an hour ago. Chaewon cooly pulls out her card, wanting to pay for the both of them only to be upstaged when Sakura says that their meal was on the house thanks to her owing Kazuha a favour.

 

Kazuha was about to voice out an objection, having no idea what favour Sakura was referring to but she understood immediately when the older Japanese girl sneaks her a subtle wink when Chaewon wasn’t looking. She never expected the owner of her favourite bakery to wingman her like this but she was grateful.

 

They step out of the bakery, and begin journeying through Seoul’s bustling night life to get to Hyehwa Station a few hundred meters away. Kazuha takes a look around as she walks and is suddenly hyper aware of just how many couples there were walking around this neighbourhood at night. Was this normal?

 

Somehow she had fallen behind Chaewon so she jogs lightly to catch up to the older girl, who was courteous enough to wait for her. Walking alongside Chaewon, Kazuha just now realizes their difference in height. There must be almost a 10cm difference between them, but Chaewon always seemed so…put together? No…

 

…Confident? Yeah, maybe that was it. Confident. The older girl’s confidence made her seem several feet taller than she actually was. That trait of hers actually made Kazuha look up to Chaewon despite being the taller one.

 

“Are your hands cold?”

 

Kazuha turns to Chaewon, seeing the girl almost glow ethereal thanks to the lights illuminating Seoul’s nightlife. Chaewon’s beauty aside, the Japanese girl didn’t quite understand the context that lead to such a question being asked so randomly.

 

“Not really? It’s kinda the opposite I guess. It’s all…all…what’s the word I’m looking for?”

 

“Opposite of cold?” Chaewon asks, and Kazuha hums. Her still limited grasp of the Korean language making a rare appearance tonight.

 

“Sweaty?”

 

Kazuha frowns in thought. “No, not really. I mean yes, sweaty, but it’s like…uncomfortably sweaty.”

 

“Clammy?”

 

Kazuha lights up. “Yeah. That works. Clammy. My hands are clammy.”

 

“Why are they clammy?”

 

“I-I don’t know. I didn’t even notice until you mentioned them. Why did you mention them?“

 

“Well….” Chaewon trails off, and Kazuha notices the slight rigidity in the girl’s shoulders. As if Chaewon was internally bracing herself for something. “…I was wondering, if your hands are cold, would you like to warm them up with mine?”

 

Kazuha eyes widen at Chaewon’s invitation, not quite sure if she had misheard or if she was dreaming with her eyes open. The blush on Chaewon’s cheeks was unmistakable however, and even in her wildest dreams her brain could never even begin to create an image as beautiful as Chaewon looks right now. This was real, and the prettiest girl she has ever met in her life wants to hold hands with her.

 

“B-But my hands are clammy.”

 

“So are mine. I don’t mind.”

 

Uncertainly Kazuha looks at the older girl but before she could hesitate any further she sees the latter reach out her hand to close the small distance between them, interlacing their fingers together as if they were two final pieces of a puzzle that had been kept unsolved for several years. How was this so perfect? How was…they were just holding hands but Kazuha felt lightheaded.

 

“Is this okay?” Chaewon asks, seeking assurance. It takes Kazuha a few more moments to jumpstart her brain enough to provide an answer.

 

“Yeah. I like this.”

 

“Good. Because we’re holding hands all the way home.” Chaewon flashes that toothy grin of hers, and Kazuha feels her entire face burn up in embarrassment due to the former’s phrasing and choice of words.

 

Chaewon made it seem as if they lived together.

 

Kazuha wonders how could an introvert like herself accept the idea of communal living so readily? Well, it was Chaewon. If it was Chaewon, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Kazuha spends the next half hour imagining a domestic life with the former actress, while Chaewon stayed true to her words and made sure their fingers stayed interlaced all through the journey back to their apartment, only letting go once the both of them were stood in front of Kazuha’s front door.

 

“W-Would you like to come in?” Kazuha offers awkwardly, not so sure if her attempt at a polite gesture would be misinterpreted into something else entirely but she couldn’t help but feel the slightest pang of disappointment when Chaewon shakes her head.

 

“Nah. Not yet. I think it’s fun to keep you guessing for a bit.” The older girl wears that cheeky grin like a weapon pointed at Kazuha’s heart. Chaewon tucks a strand of her short hair behind her cute little ears and playfully pokes at Kazuha’s shoulder. “Well, how is it?”

 

She looked expectant, but Kazuha had no idea what the older girl was referring to. “How’s what?”

 

“Me with makeup. 6 out of 10?”

 

Oh. Yeah. There was that. That was how today’s outing even started. Kazuha takes the question as an opportunity to fully and shamelessly stare at Chaewon’s beautiful face. Those pink lips. Eyeliner accentuating the already perfect almond-shaped eyes.

 

‘Minju-ssi is a liar. A horrible liar. I’ve never seen anyone so pretty before, whether it be in person or through a screen. It’s almost unfair. How is it legal to be so pretty?’

 

Kazuha swallows her compliments and keeps them to herself, not wanting to appear too eager or to come on too strong. Chaewon is/was a celebrity. Surely she would be used to and immune to compliments by now? Instead she tries to play it calm, leaning against her own doorframe because she thinks it makes her look a smidgen cooler than normal. She crosses her arms in an attempt to look aloof and uncaring about the whole thing.

 

“You’re not bad.” Kazuha says simply, voice cracking a little at the end but she gets through it fine otherwise.

 

Chaewon did not look convinced one bit.

 

“Don’t fall in love with me too fast now. I won’t be able to catch you if you come in crashing at that speed.” The older girl laughs, reaching out her left hand to gently play with Kazuha’s fingers.

 

God. . . Chaewon was so flirty. She knew she was fine. This time Kazuha didn’t even bother trying to hide the sharp intake of breath she had to take in order to keep her heart from jumping out of .

 

“I might burn up before I even reach you, unnie.”

 

“Slow down, Zuha. I’m not going anywhere. Literally, I live right next to you.” Chaewon chuckles at her own joke, but her voice was barely above a whisper. They had to lean in closer to each other just to hear what the other had to say.

 

Kazuha could have stayed like this forever. Just sharing a space with Chaewon, so close that even a mayfly would have to request permission just to pass between them, but it was too much. Too soon. She’s barely known this girl, so Kazuha takes Chaewon’s advice and tells herself to slow down. To pace herself. Savour the moments as they come.

 

“See you around, unnie.” Kazuha breathes, reluctant to go into her own house.

 

“I enjoyed our date. Don’t make me wait too long until the next one.” Chaewon replies, looking equally as reluctant.

 

Just as Kazuha feels her hand leave Chaewon’s gentle grasp, she begins to turn away. To unlock her door and return to her solitary living, when she feels herself get turned back around and in a blur all she sees is a rush of black hair moving towards her face. Soft lips press against her cheek, and it takes Kazuha several moments to realise that those lips belonged to Chaewon.

 

It was brief. Almost chaste, but when Chaewon pulls away the spot on Kazuha’s face where those lips had touched seemed to burn with the sun’s own embers. She blinks several times, unsure if that was indeed something that had really just happened. Chaewon had just kissed her on the cheek. Pretty, gorgeous, breathtaking Chaewon had just kissed her on her cheek.

 

“I’m serious about not making me wait too long. I-I’ll see you tomorrow yea?” Chaewon stutters, face red and blushing as if she herself wasn’t used to being so forward.

 

Kazuha nods dumbly, and watches with the same stunned expression as Chaewon quickly unlocks her own apartment door and disappears behind it after a quick wave.

 

The Japanese girl follows Chaewon’s lead and unlocks her front door, still in a daze as she steps into her apartment. Quiet, as always, but Kazuha didn’t feel the dull thrum of loneliness that she always did when she was alone in her home. Chaewon had kissed her on the cheek. She held her hand, and kissed her on the cheek.

 

Kazuha stomps her feet, squealing in delight as she runs to her bed and belly flops onto it. She buried her face into her pillow and kicked the air in joy because she might have just had the best day of her life.

 

 

***********************************

 

 

 

Days turn to weeks.

 

It was during the peak of her university assignments that Kazuha finds the advantages of dating her neighbour. She never needed to go out of her way to plan elaborate outings with Chaewon. It was always easy. Simple. Convenient.

 

 

Chaewon Neighbour
Whatchu up to?

 

Studying. Or dying. Or both. Simultaneously.

 

Chaewon Neighbour
You hungry?

 

I’m dying.

 

Chaewon Neighbour
I have fried chicken. Will be over in a sec.

 

I’m a dance major. Please have respect for my diet.

 

Chaewon Neighbour
It’s diet fried chicken.

 

That makes no sense.
But come over.

 

 

And just like that, Chaewon would accompany her in silence as she finishes her assignments and schoolwork. Initially Kazuha thought it would be awkward or weird, having someone in her house just doing nothing while she did her work but she realises that it wasn’t half bad. It was strangely comforting to have another figure nearby to accompany her as she typed on her computer into the late night. So Kazuha would return the favour when she could, allowing Chaewon to use her house as a place to study whenever the older girl needed to get away from Minju.

 

They became close. Closer and faster than Kazuha would ever predict.

 

She finds herself smiling at her phone in broad daylight like a smitten fool. Inversely, she gets disappointed whenever Chaewon turns down Kazuha’s offers to meet due to a scheduling conflict of some kind, something that’s been happening quite frequently as of late. It was embarrassing to be so hung up on someone she’s frankly only just met, but she didn’t quite mind it.

 

It was nice to want to spend time with someone.

 

“I heard you’ve been going out on dates.” Yunjin says next to her, bringing Kazuha out of her thoughts and into the present. There was a hint of teasing in the younger girl’s voice, and she already knew that her best friend was going to give her a rough time.

 

“Kkura-unnie talks too much.” Kazuha grumbles.

 

“Dating a girl.” Yunjin giggles as she further pokes fun at her friend. “Why don’t you tell me these things? I thought we were besties?!”

 

“I’m friends with you, but not by choice. The world just insists on sticking us with each other.”

 

She had no idea what Yunjin was even doing here in the university’s dance studio, other than to annoy her during the short breaks Kazuha takes between dancing.

 

“What’s she like? Are you two going steady? Is she pretty?” Yunjin’s questions come out rapid fire and Kazuha felt like answering none of them just because she didn’t know how to answer all but the last one. She owes her best friend an explanation, she supposed. An apology for keeping Chaewon a secret, but Kazuha wasn’t even sure if there was anything to even reveal.

 

She didn’t know what she was to Chaewon. They were just going out on dates. They hadn’t felt the need to set any lines yet.

 

Out of the corner of her eye she sees one of her juniors timidly approaching her, obviously wary of interrupting the conversation but when Kazuha throws a warm smile her way the younger girl chirps up at her senior.

 

“Sunbaenim, I could use some help with my posture, if you’re free.”

 

Kazuha glances over at Yunjin, and the latter is still obviously hung up on the topic of her Japanese friend’s love life.

 

Well screw that.

 

“Of course I am, Eunchae. What seems to be the problem?” Kazuha places a hand on Eunchae’s back, ushering the girl away from Yunjin so that she could yeet herself out of talking about Chaewon.

 

God probably sent Eunchae down from heaven just to save her from this situation. An angel. A literal angel.

 

She takes her time teaching Eunchae, sniggering as she catches Yunjin impatiently tapping her feet at the side waiting for her to be done. ‘That’s what you get, you nosey weasel!’

 

Speaking of nosey…

 

Kazuha also notices a familiar-looking figure standing in the corner by the door. The dance studio wasn’t big so there was no way she could have missed the figure watching her every move. The suspicious person even wore the hood of her oversized sweater up, enhancing the look of someone you should be wary of, but the strands of shoulder-length black hair peeping out of the hood gave away the person’s identity.

 

Not to say that makes Kim Chaewon any less creepy though.

 

Kazuha makes sure that Eunchae was alright before leaving to chastise the girl in the corner of the dance studio. Seriously. Chaewon even had her shades on. Who did the older girl think she is? Lee Hyori?

 

“You couldn’t look any more suspicious if you tried. Someone might call the cops on you, unnie.” Kazuha teases, clicking her tongue as Chaewon’s entire being lights up just at the very sight of her.

 

“Good. While they’re here I can tell them all about the girl who stole my heart.” Chaewon greasily winks, and Kazuha fought hard to pretend that she didn’t find the girl charming. What was Chaewon even doing here? First her insufferable best friend, now her equally as insufferable neighbour.

 

Was the dance studio no longer a sanctuary?!

 

Still…Kazuha couldn’t say she minded it.

 

She might even go so far as to say she was happy to see Chaewon. Because it’s been too many days. Too many days too long.

 

“I would have stolen something more valuable, if I were that girl.” Kazuha says, not being able to help the pout that found it’s way to her face.

 

Chaewon tilts her head in confusion. “Something more valuable than my heart? What could that be? Does such a thing even exist?”

 

Why was it so cute when she tilted her head? Chaewon looked like a cat. Dammit how could Kazuha stay mad like this?!

 

“Your time. I would have stolen your time. I haven’t seen you around much.” Kazuha admits that she misses Chaewon. She usually plays her cards better than this, but did she miss Chaewon and that stupid smile of hers. The exact same smile that the older girl was wearing now. Cheeky and mischievous, as if she had just pulled a prank only she was privy too.

 

That smile does things to her. Butterflies in her tummy and all of that Disney nonsense you only read about. Kazuha turns around, thinking that if she did so she could maybe give off the impression that she wasn’t as affected by Chaewon as she actually was. Kazuha was not an easy girl, not easily swayed and she did not make a habit of wearing her heart on her sleeve.

 

All that turns to naught however, when she feels a pair of deceptively strong arms wrap around her waist from behind. Kazuha’s entire being jolts. The feeling of Chaewon’s body, so warm and strong, pressing against her back causes her to malfunction and melt like butter on a hot griddle. She almost whimpers because never before has she, a girl standing at a proud 170cm tall, ever felt as small and fragile as she currently does in Chaewon’s arms.

 

“I’m here now, watching how good of a senior my lovely neighbour is being.” Chaewon utters, voice low right into Kazuha’s ear. “So disciplined and kind. I wish I was your hoobae.”

 

Shivers run up Kazuha’s spine and she feels her knees go weak. Kim Chaewon was a walking force of nature. A hurricane to Kazuha’s house-of-cards composure.

 

She takes a deep breath, shaky as she exhales. “I thought you lost interest in me. It’s been awhile since I’ve last seen you, eventhough you live right next door.”

 

“It’s been 8 days. Believe me, I’ve been counting. The minute I submitted that stupid group assignment, I took the first train here to see you.” Chaewon’s voice came out muffled, face buried into Kazuha’s shoulder.

 

To be completely honest, Kazuha was feeling pretty self-conscious. She was sweaty from having danced the whole day and her skin was sticky but Chaewon didn’t seem to mind it. She just kept hugging her, humming a song into her shoulder like it was the most natural thing.

 

“Stop hugging me like this in public. Everyone’s staring. I don’t like it when they stare.” Kazuha makes an attempt to dissuade Chaewon without calling attention to her obvious perspiration, but the older girl brushes it off like it was nothing.

 

“Let them.” Chaewon starts swaying from side-to-side, bringing Kazuha along for the ride. “Wanna have lunch? After your practice is done? I’ve missed you, darling.”

 

The moniker gains her attention. “Darling?”

 

“I’m a lot more generous with the nicknames compared to you, Zuha-ssi. What do you have me saved as in your phone?”

 

“…Chaewon Neighbour.”

 

“…That’s it?”

 

“Cry about it.”

 

“I saved you under my phone with heart emojis. EMOJIS!” The swaying intensifies, to the point where Chaewon was almost swinging her around as the older girl’s cries of anguish reverberate throughout the dance studio.

 

Everyone was looking at them. Kazuha wishes a hole would open up in the floor and swallow her up.

 

“Writing my number on your hand was a mistake. Did you know I’ve quit drinking since then?” Kazuha grumbles, and she feels the ticklish sniggering against her shoulder.

 

“Then I won’t have to worry about you drunkenly giving your number away to other pretty girls on trains.”

 

Kazuha scoffs. “I’d never be able to find anyone prettier than you.”

 

The arms around her waist stiffen, and she glances over her shoulder to see a magnificent sight. The unshakable Kim Chaewon, eyes wide and face blushing a furious crimson at Kazuha’s simple attack.

 

“Got you.” Kazuha smirks, while Chaewon tries to sputter out a reply. Part of the advantage of being so non-responsive to Chaewon’s cheesy advances is that the older girl is never prepared for when Kazuha actually decides to throw in her own flirty jabs. “See you at lunch, unnie.”

 

Kazuha didn’t bother looking back as she walked away from her neighbour, who was still flabbergasted that the normally timid Kazuha flirted back. She approaches Yunjin, fully intent on introducing her best friend to the girl whom she has been dating, but the look on Yunjin’s face miraculously enough mirrored the expression worn by the girl she had just walked away from.

 

“You alright Yunjin?”

 

Yunjin looked as if she had just been slapped in the face with a raw salmon. “That’s Kim Chaewon.”

 

“You know he—oh yeah. Right. Actress.”

 

Kazuha forgets that Chaewon was famous. No wonder the girl had on that ridiculous getup. She tries to brush it off casually, but Yunjin was adamant. Understandable really. Kazuha was pretty much a recluse for as long as Yunjin has known her, only for said recluse to turn around and date a girl that had more instagram followers than there were people attending their respective university courses.

 

“How do you know Kim Chaewon? It’s not like the two of you share the same social circle!” Yunjin was not letting this go. Kazuha decides to have some fun.

 

“Well, wouldn’t you like to know~?”

 

“Duh! That’s why I asked, !”

 

Kazuha gracefully dodges Yunjin lunging towards her, causing the younger girl to run face first into one of the dance studio’s mirrored walls. Yunjin slides down the mirror like a bird hitting a closed window, and immediately curls into a ball on the floor. Okay. Great. Now Kazuha felt bad. With a sigh she kneels down and begins to recount the story of how she and Chaewon met, embarrassment making her face turn red as she begins with the drunken Sharpie incident.

 

 

 

 

**************************

 

 

 

Kazuha stares at the potted plant on her dining table. She tilts her head to scrutinise it from a different angle, trying to see if it suited the aesthetic of the entire dining room. Truth be told she didn’t even know the name of said potted plant or what species it originates from, all she knew was that her mother was coming to visit from Osaka so she needed to figure out a way to make her living quarters look a little more lived in and decorated.

 

She figured a potted plant would be the best way to accomplish that.

 

She tilts her head in the other direction and bites her lip.

 

…Maybe she should have gotten a bigger one? She might have been a little too conservative in her plant purchasing.

 

Kazuha looks to her wall clock and her eyebrows start to furrow. Her mother should have been here an hour ago. She knew she should have gone to pick her up at the airport. She insisted, but her mother insisted even harder for her to wait at home so it just became a game of—does her mother even know how to read Korean signboards? Oh gosh with widened eyes and panic thrumming through her veins Kazuha picks up her phone and begins to dial her moth—

 

DING!

 

Her eyes snap towards her front door, where the doorbell just rang. Relief washes over her as she makes her way to the door, swinging it open to greet her mother who had finally arrived in Korea to visit her homesick daughter.

 

“He—“ Kazuha began, excitement pouring out of every orifice upon seeing her mother in the flesh after several months of just seeing her through her laptop’s screen. The thrill however morphed into confusion upon noticing the person standing next to her mother. Someone ridiculously familiar.

 

“—ehh?” Why was Kim Chaewon standing next to her mother? She flashed the older girl a questioning look, only to receive an equally confused smile in return.

 

“Chu-chan! I’m sorry it took so long for me to get here! I lost my way, but luckily Chaewon-san was here to help me!” Her mother explains, unwittingly answering the question left unasked in Kazuha’s head.

 

“Really? That’s…nice of her. Come on in Ma, you must be exhausted.” Kazuha ushers her mother in while nodding towards the bedrooms a few times when she knew her mother wasn’t looking. Fortunately enough, Chaewon was quick on the uptake.

 

“I’ve got your bags Ma’am! Don’t worry, just take it easy! Me and Zuha will get your things sorted!” Chaewon cheerfully says, zipping into the guest bedroom with luggage in tow, following Kazuha before the the latter’s mother could even begin to suspect a thing.

 

Chaewon closes the door behind her and nearly yelps in surprise when she turns around only to come face to face with a wide-eyed, almost manic Nakamura Kazuha.

 

“What are you doing?!” The Japanese girl hisses, gaze so intense it was as if she would be able to find the answer to her question if she just stared hard enough into Chaewon’s soul.

 

“Winning over the in-laws? I don’t know! I obviously didn’t plan this!” Chaewon responds, obviously equally as confused about the whole situation as Kazuha herself was.

 

Realizing she was being unreasonable and that this wasn’t another one of Chaewon’s elaborate plans to mess with her, Kazuha tries to calm herself down. With a small nod of gratitude she takes her mother’s suitcase from Chaewon’s hands and tucks it into a small cupboard next to the bed.

 

Did she ever consider introducing Chaewon to her mother? Maybe. It was sort of inevitable, given how close they live to each other and just how much of her life Chaewon has started to occupy. It was just…too big of a move though. There were too many implications with introducing your girlf—

 

—wait was Chaewon even her….her ‘G’ word? They never really used any labels so…

 

Kazuha shakes her thoughts away. Even more reason for her to be hesitant about her mother meeting her beautiful neighbour that she may—or may not—spend too many private moments with. She wasn’t upset about them meeting each other like this, just taken aback. If she had a choice, she would have preferred to introduce the two herself.

 

She massages her temple, already feeling a headache coming on. “Well just…just don’t mention anything to her okay? She doesn’t know that I’m…”

 

“That you like girls?”

 

Kazuha’s eyes go wide as saucers and she quickly glances back to the door, making sure that it was closed. “Yes. She doesn’t know that I like girls. So just…calm down on that part yeah?”

 

Chaewon giggles at that request. She ing has the gall to giggle when Kazuha was close to having a conniption. Kim Chaewon was unbelievable. An impossibility. A devil sent up from down below to make her life a little more difficult than it already was.

 

“Am I a girl that you could like?”

 

Kazuha was at the end of her nerves with this girl. “What are you talking about? You’re the ONLY girl that I li—“

 

She manages to cut herself off before finishing that sentence because oh wow that was something they’ve never done, wasn’t it? No wonder they didn’t have any labels. They’ve never even formally informed the other of their feelings for each other. The realisation dawns on Kazuha, and the preparation for the inevitable teasing follows quickly after.

 

“Hmm? What was that? What is it? C’mon~ Say it~”

 

And there it was. Kazuha blushes furiously, angry at herself for the slip up but also simultaneously flustered because Chaewon was right in her face for no justifiable reason.

 

“I think you like me~ You want to hug me~ Hold hands and kiss me~” Chaewon sings, poking Kazuha on the cheeks and shoulders as she effectively backs up a flustered Kazuha against the door.

 

“Shut up unnie. What if she hears you? Stop playing around.” Kazuha chastises weakly. God Chaewon smells good. Wasn’t she running around trying to help her mother earlier? Why did she smell so good? She was too close. TOO CLOSE!

 

“Y’know you’re always so hot and cold. You’re like, mixed signals in human form. Sometimes I feel like you’re into me, then suddenly you don’t reply my texts, I just don’t know what to—“

 

it.

 

Kazuha shuts Chaewon up with the only method that seemed appropriate at the time.

 

By leaning forward and kissing the girl on the lips.

 

It was brief. More of a peck than an actual kiss, but that was the first time they had ever crossed that line of intimacy. It was fascinating—almost like magic—how the very instant her lips connected with Chaewon’s the whole world around them became silent. As if she had just put in a pair of earplugs. She could hear nothing, and feel nothing, except for Kim Chaewon. How pillowy soft and moist Chaewon’s lips felt against hers. How flutteringly delicate Chaewon’s eyelashes felt against her skin. Everything was Chaewon.

 

By the time she pulls away the full magic of the moment hadn’t fully sunk in, leaving her confused and breathless in equal measures despite being the one to initiate the kiss in the first place. The only consolation was that the very same look could be seen reflected on Chaewon’s face as the older girl looks back at her with eyes so smouldering Kazuha felt as if she was being set ablaze.

 

“Now can you please keep your mouth shut around my mother?” Kazuha says, almost panting due to how breathless she was.

 

It was just a peck. A small kiss. Barely even anything of note, but it left Kazuha a wreck. They lock eyes, but Chaewon was just made of pure magic so Kazuha had to look away. Unfortunately her gaze automatically diverted to Chaewon’s lips, and she is reminded again of how plush and soft they felt against her own.

 

She had gotten a sip of heaven, and it had left her parched.

 

Chaewon leans in to press their foreheads together and Kazuha wanted to cry because they were so close to each other. Those lips were so close to hers. The shorter girl’s breath fanned against Kazuha’s face, warm and inviting. Almost magnetic in the way her lips seem to be drawn to Chaewon’s.

 

“Kiss me again, and I’ll do anything you want Zuha. One more time, and I’m yours.”

 

Kazuha didn’t need to be told twice.

 

The Japanese girl practically lunged forward, wrapping her arms around the older girl’s neck and crashing their lips together in an almost uncomfortable manner. It was several months of repressed emotions, and fortunately enough Chaewon seemed to want her just as badly as she wanted Chaewon. Despite being the shorter of the two, Chaewon did a good job of pinning Kazuha against the door, lips almost hungrily claiming the taller girl as her own.

 

A slip of a tongue against hers and Kazuha’s knees buckle like a poorly built skyscraper. She was so weak against this girl. , Chaewon was amazing. Chaewon kisses her deeper than anyone she’s ever kissed before. Chaewon’s kisses were harder and more desperate, yet simultaneously tender and full of patience. Her head was spinning, all oxygen in her lungs being stolen by wanting lips.

 

“Oh —Sorry I didn’t see that.” Chaewon apologizes as a small crash was heard. A wallclock lies broken on the floor by their feet, but Kazuha’s only concern was getting those soft lips back against hers.

 

“It’s…It’s okay. I didn’t like it anyw—anyways…” Oh wow was she out of breath. Kazuha didn’t even realise how hard it was to speak until she actually had to form a proper sentence.

 

“Was it…was it expensive?”

 

Chaewon was breathless as well. She sounded so worried, guilty for damaging Kazuha’s property despite the latter being completely unbothered by it.

 

“Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t too bad.”

 

“How much? Do I owe you my soul? Give me a number. I can take it.”

 

Kazuha sighs impatiently. “…about a million won? Maybe?”

 

“Even my soul isn’t enough to cover that! Why is your clock so expensive?!” Chaewon looked flabbergasted, all thoughts of returning to kissing completely gone and out of her system.

 

“Time is money…?”

 

“You’re an idiot.”

 

“I know I am but what does that make you?” Kazuha jabs back, laughing at the incredulous look the other girl was giving her. No wonder Chaewon’s a former actress, considering the range of facial expressions the girl had just displayed over the last 2 minutes.

 

“I guess that makes me the girlfriend of an idiot.”

 

Kazuha stares wide-eyed at Chaewon, wondering if she had misheard but given the silence in the room and their close proximity, the chances of that being the case was highly unlikely.

 

“…Girlfriend.” Kazuha tests the word, feeling a pleasant tingle run up and down her spine as it left her lips.

 

“Is that okay?” Chaewon asks, showing a rare moment of insecurity. Even if it wasn’t okay—which it totally WAS—the way Chaewon was playing with Kazuha’s fingers was unfair. A cheating manoeuvre. The older girl’s eyes held a billion stars as they looked up at her so full of hope.

 

“I’m fine with it.” Kazuha answers, downplaying it as best as she can but on the inside she was punching the air with joy.

 

“Alright. Cool.”

 

“Yeah. Cool.”

 

“…Shall we head back to check on your mother? My dear girlfriend?”

 

Kazuha nearly dies. She clears , blushing madly as she nods in agreement.

 

Chaewon stays over for dinner, on her mother’s insistence. Kazuha only pretends to be annoyed at the intrusion on the surface, but sneakily reaches out to interlace her fingers with her girlfriend’s throughout the night when she was convinced her mother wasn’t looking.

 

 

 

 

********************

 

 

 

It was later in the night. Kazuha was finishing up some schoolwork on her laptop, while her mother had her back turned watching a rerun of an unrecognisable K-drama in the living room.

 

They didn’t really talk much after dinner, mostly because Kazuha had assignments to complete and her mother was too exhausted from her journey to Seoul. Bless the woman for flying all the way from Osaka just to come see her, despite her age. Looking back maybe she should have been a better daughter and gone to the airport to greet her mother. Maybe then she wouldn’t have gotten lost on the way to the apartment.

 

She was lucky Chaewon was there though. Fortunate, that Chaewon came into her life. Kazuha sighs to herself, now unable to focus on her work. She’s been holding back from sending her beautiful neighbour a text for the past hour or so, knowing that a single text would lead to a whole conversation and that would mean her work would definitely not get finished tonight.

 

She sighs again, slumping over her table.

 

She was so disciplined before. What the heck happened?

 

“Chaewon-san is very pretty.”

 

Kazuha lifts her head up from the desk to look at her mother, who still had her back turned to her. Where the heck did that statement come from?

 

“She used to be an actress. She gets that a lot.” Kazuha replies, trying to appear nonchalant about her reply without seeming too eager to agree with her mother’s statement.

 

Her mother laughs, and Kazuha was unsure if it was directed towards her previous reply, or directed towards the show she was watching on the TV screen. A moment of silence passes soon after, and Kazuha just chalks it up to her mother being weird as she decides to give her schoolwork another go.

 

“…Having an actress as a daughter-in-law sounds like it would be fun.”

 

Kazuha nearly falls off her chair.

 

“Ma!”

 

 

************************************

 

 

A month later.

 

A full month of Chaewon officially being Kazuha’s girlfriend.

 

…or was it Kazuha being Chaewon’s girlfriend?

 

Normally one would assume that both statements were equally acceptable, but with Kazuha now snugly tucked into Chaewon’s side, the latter’s arm wrapped protectively around her shoulder as they sit on Kazuha’s couch watching a random horror movie that they had found…

 

…Kazuha couldn’t help but feel like she got the winning end of the stick here. Chaewon is warm and she smells like Jo Malone. This didn’t feel like an equal relationship at all.

 

“You like movies?” Chaewon asks while absentmindedly scritching the top of Kazuha’s scalp. She loves it when Chaewon does that. She wasn’t a cat but if she were she’d be purring and putty in the older girl’s hands.

 

“Considering this is our second one today…they’re alright.” Kazuha responds, almost inaudibly. Her voice was low and her eyes were closed, but she could still entertain Chaewon’s random questions.

 

“Mmm.” The older girl hums, taking a moment to pause before continuing. “I’m thinking of acting again.”

 

“Go for it.” Kazuha says simply. “You sure you’re not rusty? It’s been like 15 years.”

 

“12 years. I’m not that old.” Chaewon playfully flicks Kazuha’s earlobe in displeasure while the girl in her arms just giggles. “You watched any of my stuff?”

 

“Just the one where you played the ghost of a kid that got run over by a cement mixer. Pretty good, despite the weird premise.”

 

Chaewon scoffs at the casual disrespect. “Blue Flame won me my first Rookie Actress of The Year award, I’ll have you know. Kindly put some respect on it, please.”

 

It was Kazuha’s turn to scoff, and she received a tight swat to the shoulder in return.

 

The older of the two stays quiet for several minutes after that short interaction, and Kazuha figures that Chaewon had moved on from the topic and had gotten engrossed in the movie they were watching. The fingers brushing her hair and scritching that spot on her scalp never ceased in their movements, and Kazuha could feel the tempting call of sleep attempting to claim her again.

 

A little nap wouldn’t hurt, would it?

 

“…It’d be hard for us to date if I’m an active celebrity, though.”

 

Kazuha’s eyes snap open.

 

Okay…where the heck was this going?

 

“We’ll find a way?” Kazuha weakly suggested, unsure if this sudden change in mood was all in her head or if she had something to genuinely worry about.

 

Chaewon hummed quietly to herself, as if she was deep in thought. “The media will probably have a field day. A former actress coming back after more than 10 years? They’ll definitely try their best to dig up stories about me, and since I’m bad at hiding things they will definitely find out about you.”

 

Sensing the conversation going in an uncomfortable direction, Kazuha sits up straight so that she could look her girlfriend in her eyes. Chaewon’s expression was unreadable, which causes all sorts of panic to go through Kazuha’s mind. She thought she had gotten the hang of understanding how her girlfriend’s brain worked throughout their time together, so her suddenly not being able to decipher Chaewon’s thoughts just from her face was something scary.

 

“Unnie? D-Don’t break up with me please.” Kazuha says, immediately assuming the worst.

 

Chaewon laughs, and Kazuha tries her best to glare at her girlfriend through teary eyes. The older girl takes Kazuha’s hands in hers and rubs the back of them with her thumbs, reassuringly. “The thought never even crossed my mind, darling.”

 

“Then don’t say things like that! Gosh! I hate you!” Kazuha complains as she pushes Chaewon away with one hand and wiping the tears out of her eyes with the back of the other. Gosh her girlfriend was so stupid, scaring her like that. Urgh why did she even like this girl? Why couldn’t her heart fall for someone who wasn’t such a jackass?

 

She doesn’t notice Chaewon gazing at her with eyes so full of affection and love. Despite all the half-hearted insults Kazuha was throwing Chaewon’s way, the older girl reaches out with both her hands and squeezes her girlfriend’s cheeks together to effectively shut her up.

 

“Would you be okay if the rest of the country found out about us?”

 

Kazuha’s eyes widen a little in surprise. “Mbmnf?”

 

“I’m not really going to shout it from the rooftops, but I’d hate to pretend you don’t exist. So if people ask, I’ll say ‘that girl is my girlfriend’ without hesitation. Makes things much easier when we’re not just skirting around the topic.”

 

Chaewon releases her face and Kazuha grumbles while massaging her cheeks. She contemplates the older girl’s suggestion.

 

“I don’t think being an openly gay celebrity in South Korea would make things easier.”

 

Chaewon shrugs. “Well I’m just acting because I like it. Who cares if I miss out on a few jobs? Rather that then pretend to be someone I’m not.”

 

A few jobs.

 

In this industry and with her credentials, a few jobs would probably add up to a lot of money. She said it herself; Chaewon liked acting. Kazuha would have no objections at all if her girlfriend lied to the public and pretended she didn’t exist, because that was about the least she could do. Kazuha was in the arts industry as well, so she had some understanding of how the whole “pretending you’re single when you’re not” system worked.

 

Chaewon would still throw all of that away just so that she could tell the world that she was dating Kazuha. It was…overwhelmingly flattering. She’s never had it this good before, and nobody has ever been this good to her. The warmth in Kazuha’s chest nearly brought tears to her eyes, but she swallowed it all down.

 

Instead she kisses her girlfriend on the cheek, taking the older girl by surprise. If words weren’t enough to show her appreciation, then Kazuha would display her affection in every other way she could.

 

“I love you, unnie.”

 

Chaewon smiles back at her, her entire face lighting up as she throws her arms around Kazuha’s neck so that they could just stare into each other’s eyes, foreheads almost touching.

 

“I love you more.” There was a twinkle in Chaewon’s eyes that made her look almost ethereal. “Is that a yes? Would you go public with me?”

 

Kazuha nods, giggling as Chaewon tackles her down onto the couch and peppers her face with so many kisses that she couldn’t even begin to reciprocate them all.

 

 

***************************************

 

 

Kazuha pulls the collar of her jacket up higher so that it could shield more of her face. The winter air was at it’s harshest tonight, pricking at her skin like tiny needles. She didn’t have far left to go. She could already see the dim lights from the bar she was headed to from where she was, welcoming her with promise of warmth and shelter from the falling snow.

 

She makes it the last few steps, sliding the door open and breathing a sigh of relief upon feeling the establishment’s heating system envelope her body like a hug. The bar was familiar. Everything was exactly where they were the last time she visited, with the same usual faces that would keep her company as she drank alone into the night.

 

The chime of the bell attached to the entrance door alerted the bar’s owner to her arrival, and the elderly lady lights up with a bright smile upon catching sight of Kazuha standing by the entryway, brushing snow off her shoulders and wiping the soles of her wet boots on the floormat.

 

“It’s been awhile, hasn’t it dear?” Mrs. Kang greets jovially as Kazuha takes her usual seat by the bar counter. It was hard to imagine how she used to sit in this very chair for hours on end just drinking by her lonesome, and how she managed to somehow abandon that routine altogether about a year ago when she met Chaewon.

 

“I kinda swore off alcohol for a moment. A lot of things have happened since then though…so I’m back.” Kazuha replies, mentally grimacing at the recollection of what happened the last time she had left this bar in a drunken state.

 

She had secretly sworn off her habit of keeping Sharpies in her bag as well.

 

“You’re still here alone though! Some things just don’t change!”

 

Kazuha whips around, shaking a fist at the corner table’s patrons in protest of their assumption. “I’m with someone now! She’s on the way here as we speak!”

 

An uproar begins, consisting of disbelieving exclamations and excited cheering. A cacophony of drunken people excitedly tapping their metal chopsticks against empty soju bottles and a chorus of congratulations because Kazuha was FINALLY no longer single. She finds herself rolling her eyes in annoyance, but internally smiling because these were her people. These drunkards that she would hang out with just as frequently as she would Yunjin, still fond of her eventhough it’s been a year since she’s visited this place.

 

“She! Hah! Everyone owes me a drink!” Junyoung cheers, waving his glass in the air and spilling soju everywhere.

 

“Lucky guess!”

 

“Get your own drink Jun-ah!”

 

“You must have rigged this Jun!”

 

Kazuha looks around confused at what they were talking about, eventually turning to Mrs. Kang for clarification which the elderly lady kindly provides along with Kazuha’s favourite drink.

 

“They were taking bets to see why you did not have a boyfriend. Junyoung-ssi predicted that it was because you weren’t interested in the male gender.”

 

“Naeun guessed it was because you’re secretly a North Korean defector!” Junyoung chimes in, laughing at a girl seated next to him who looked sheepish.

 

The ludicrous assumption had Kazuha looking mortified at her friends. “North Korean?! I’m Japanese!”

 

Amidst the noise and havoc the front door chimes again, barely audible through the uproar. The new patron’s arrival went largely unnoticed by everyone present, save for the elderly proprietor of the bar who nodded her head in acknowledgement of the newcomer’s entrance.

 

“Oh, this place is pretty rowdy isn’t it?” The newcomer comments as she takes a quick glance around the bar, making an immediate beeline for Kazuha the moment she spots her amidst the commotion. Chaewon kisses her girlfriend on the cheek, effectively gaining the attention of everyone in the establishment and putting a halt to the shouting and ruckus. “Hey darling. Sorry I’m late, the shoot ran a little longer than expected.”

 

“It’s all good. I was just catching up with my friends.” Kazuha gestures to the other patrons of the bar, who had their jaws on the floor as they took in who their former loser of a drinking buddy was currently dating.

 

Kazuha reaches up to brush off some snow from her girlfriend’s silky black hair, now grown in length to about the latter’s upper back for her latest movie role. Chaewon takes the open seat next to her girlfriend and almost immediately rests her head on Kazuha’s shoulder, letting out a long sigh as she does so.

 

“Long day?”

 

“The longest.”

 

“Sorry for making you come all the way out here.”

 

Chaewon protests the apology with the cutest whine. Kazuha keeps her cool composure, but inside she is a melted puddle. Her girlfriend was too cute.

 

“I’d go anywhere for you.”

 

“That’s dramatic, unnie.”

 

“I’m an actress. I get paid to be dramatic.”

 

Kazuha pokes a svelte finger into Chaewon’s fluffy cheek, delighting in how puffy and soft her girlfriend’s cheek was.

 

“Have you eaten?”

 

Chaewon shakes her head. “I’m hungry.”

 

“Well the fo—“

 

*Click*

 

Kazuha and Chaewon whip around upon hearing the telltale sound of a phone’s digital camera shutter. The phone’s owner looked sheepish, ashamed of being caught taking the photo and having the entire bar’s attention on her.

 

“Nayoung-ssi! No taking sneaky pictures of my customers! That behaviour will not be tolerated!” The elderly Mrs. Kang chastises the embarrassed girl, while she hurriedly tries to delete the photo she had taken.

 

“I-I’m sorry! It’s just…It’s Kim Chaewon!” Nayoung tries defending herself, and the rest of her tablemates nod their head as if they accepted that as a justifiable reasoning.

 

The act itself was questionable, but Kazuha could tell that Nayoung and the other customers didn’t have any ill intentions. They were simply starstruck by Chaewon, and the little part of her that was swelling with pride at her girlfriend’s popularity couldn’t be mad. Chaewon had gone on a roll in the past year, having landed a major role in a currently-airing drama, as well as bagging a handful of commercials. It goes without question that the actress was popular. Eventhough they’ve agreed to not hide their relationship if it ever got out, that did not mean that they were in a rush to be found out by the public.

 

She glances over at Chaewon, hoping her girlfriend wasn’t too angry that her privacy had been invaded. Kazuha breathed a sigh of relief when she sees the signature playful smirk playing on Chaewon’s gorgeous face.

 

“Look. If all of you can agree to pretend you never saw me and Zuha here together, I’ll take selfies and videos with each of you.”

 

A brief moment of silence, with the people in question exchanging glances between themselves to quietly deliberate Chaewon’s offer. It was a good one, to be honest. Her girlfriend’s fanservice is second to none.

 

“Kazuha who? I don’t see any Kazuhas here!” Junyoung says finally, making them all laugh as Chaewon pries herself away from her warm girlfriend to head towards the other table.

 

Like an expert, Chaewon entertains the crowd. The bar became a one-night event space, and their date has transformed into a fanmeeting. Kazuha props up her chin with a hand, staring fondly as Chaewon takes photos and autographs napkins.

 

“I’m really dating a celebrity. Wow. This is incredible.”

 

Chaewon overhears the statement, walking back to her seat and swiping the bottle of plum soju off the table. “What’s incredible is the amount of soju you’re drinking all by yourself. No wonder you scribble your number on people! Share!”

 

“That was ONE time!” Kazuha hits Chaewon’s thigh, face burning up in embarrassment.

 

Her girlfriend pulls her closer, arms around her neck, pressing a light kiss to her forehead before ruffling Kazuha’s hair like one would a child while the latter whines in protest and tries to swat Chaewon’s hand away.

 

The older girl leans down, matching eye-level with her seated girlfriend, and with fondness absolutely pouring from her gaze she cheekily throws a question to Kazuha;

 

“Aren’t you glad you got drunk that one night though?”

 

Kazuha’s breath catches in , and she fully looks at Chaewon. Her girlfriend. She takes in her surroundings, how full of life everyone was. How just a single year ago, people would frequent this bar for a quiet drink and a quick way to forget their problems, and now it’s become a raucous party. Changed with Chaewon’s presence, similar to how the girl had changed Kazuha’s own life.

 

Yeah.

 

She was definitely glad she got drunk that one winter’s night a year ago. It was how she met her twin flame.








____________________________________________________________________________________________

Ay yooo that was a long one shot eh??

Hello! Hans here! I'm sorry if the pacing of this fic is a little off. I...kinda took a whole year to write this because I just wrote it slowly. Sometimes a week would pass and I would only add 1 sentence. This fic was done as a request from my Penguin friend on Twitter, and on their request they wanted it to be feel good and just fluff so....I tried my best. Angst is my usual flavour of choice but for a dear friend, an attempt to write 18k words of fluff shall be made!!

Is it boring? Please let me know in the comments below if you got bored. Or if you enjoyed. Regardless just please leave a comment lol it's been years since I published anything on this site and I'm kinda insecure now lolll

This fic is written using Machine Gun Kelly's Twin Flame as the basis. I hope you enjoyed!

Take care, and love all y'all faces!