When Chaeyoung said Mina could kiss her as many as she wished, she wasn’t in her conscious mind to really think about the meaning of it. Mina, on the other hand, interpreted it as everywhere, every time she deemed it right. Not that Chaeyoung would complain or anything. It just meant that sometimes she got pushed against some sort of surface and kissed until they’re both breathless. She could get used to it just fine. Sometimes it left her wanting more than satiated. But she must tell herself, that was it for now.

Too caught up in Mina’s kisses, Chaeyoung almost forgot the promised meal with Dahyun and Sana.

Luckily, Dahyun remembered to knock this time. Because Mina was all over her on the couch and Chaeyoung didn't know how she could face her friend if Dahyun caught her in this compromising situation.

"University life can be crazy!" Dahyun groaned. "I hate group assignments so much I'd rather do all the work myself."

Chaeyoung let out a hum, letting her friend complain away. They were sitting around the table, having fried chicken and kimchi stew with noodles, which Dahyun ordered. She was so immersed in Mina’s kisses and affection these days that she completely forgot about this until Dahyun showed up. Dahyun said it was fine but she’s still feeling guilty about it.

"But other than that, it's fun. There are so many interesting clubs you can join, like theatre club - do you remember the play we did in freshman year of high school? What a disaster."

Chaeyoung chuckled, "It was. We almost burned the place down."

Dahyun's face lit up at the rare reaction from Chaeyoung. She was so used to not getting a reaction from the latter.

"Still. We killed it!" She claimed.

"And nearly killed the male lead too."

Chaeyoung snorted. A small smile gracing her lips as she remembered how crazy her high school life was.

"I can still see the look of despair on Mrs. Jung's face. It's a bit of a stretch that she banned us from the stage, but now looking back, I can understand why she did that."

"It's fine. I don't think I belong on stage either."

Chaeyoung offered. Trying it was fun, but she didn't think it was her call to perform.

"But there are a lot more clubs you can try." Dahyun quickly added. "Like an acapella club, or an arts club."

Her eyes watched Chaeyoung's face with rapt attention, half expecting, half fearful of the girl's reaction.

"Sounds fun." Chaeyoung commented, and Dahyun couldn't contain her excitement.

"Yeah it is. Maybe you should..." She trailed.

"I should what?"

"I'm just saying, well maybe, you should... you know, attend the university. I mean, I know the offer letter is still valid, until next September." Dahyun couldn't meet Chaeyoung's eyes, but she still chanced glances to gauge her friend's reaction. A frown started to form on the younger girl's face, and Dahyun quickly added.

"Just...think about it, okay? Your talent shouldn't go to waste."

"But I can't draw again. What else can I do? They only wanted me because of my arts skill, but after...that, I can't. How can I go to school again?" Chaeyoung grunted, poking the poor cold noodle left in her bowl. She looked rather lost and tired, but Dahyun didn't see the usual anger and avoidance as before.

"I know you can. I found this in your living room" Dahyun held up a stack of notes, which had the drawings of Mina from a few days ago. "It's a start, Chaeyoung! You can practise again and soon you'll get back on track, like..."

"Like what? Like nothing ever happened?" There’s a pause in the air where everyone stopped in their tracks, fearing Dahyun had crossed a line. "It did happen! And I can never be back to where I was!"

"You can't go back, but you can move forward. From now on, you can draw and paint in a different way. No worries, you have picked up the pencil again, it's the hardest step already."

Still, Dahyun didn’t want to give up that easily, she knew Chaeyoung’s wall was tottering. Just another right nudge then it would fall down.

Chaeyoung didn't argue more. She looked deep in thought.

"You can try," added Dahyun, "and if you don't feel like it anymore, you can always change your major after the first year."

"Let's not discuss this now." Chaeyoung rubbed her eyes. Her tone of voice indicating this was the end of the topic.

But it's a huge step already, and although Mina didn’t speak a word, Dahyun knew she played a big, if not the biggest, part in shattering Chaeyoung’s wall.

***

Sana and Mina were in the living room watching TV while Dahyun and Chaeyoung were cleaning up in the kitchen. Sana was sitting on the couch, eyes glued on the screen while Mina sat herself on the loveseat, obviously not keen on being within Sana's reach. The dog hybrid was pulling Mina with her, not shutting up about how amazing the TV series were. Turned out it was a cartoon about this superhero dog who managed to save the world in every episode. Mina regretted coming here. She could help Chaeyoung clean up, stay around the human, maybe scent her some more. But Dahyun was adamant on helping clean up and Chaeyoung must stay because she still wanted her dishes intact.

Mina was more prepared when Dahyun and Sana arrived today. Half of her body was on Chaeyoung's lap as she stared at the dog hybrid challengingly. She had made sure, prior to their arrival, that her scent was all over Chaeyoung. To her surprise, Sana only smirked at her before sitting down on Dahyun's legs, looking rather amused than offended. Whatever, at least Sana was keeping her hands off Chaeyoung.

Sana was extra well-behaved today, Mina noted. The dog hybrid didn't jump onto Chaeyoung as usual, choosing to walk around the house before settling on Dahyun's lap. The conversation was not as dreadful as Mina had feared. Most of the time, Dahyun was complaining about what an her school project teammate was and how she must do all the work by herself. She asked what Chaeyoung and Mina were doing these days, which was not much to be honest.

A little yell of victory directed Mina's attention to the TV, which was showing the superhero dog being hugged by its human. Apparently, the villain managed to use some trick to cause a major blow up between the superdog and its superhuman. The