The streets of Seoul city were still coloured vibrant with night life as Jieun led the way to her neighborhood. She feels shy. The man accompanying her side smiles kindly, making small talk with her. 

“Do you really have an appointment tomorrow?” The question comes out unprompted midway.  Now that they’d separated from the crowd, Jieun starts to second guess herself, wondering if she’s undeserving of his attention, if he’s only here by obligation.

Sehun chuckles at her unsure expression. “For real. I’m currently a teacher’s assistant. Tomorrow’s meeting is just a debrief on what’s expected of me during office hours thankfully. I’m not actually tutoring every weekend.”

His straightforward response relieves her, showing no desire to return to the party. “I thought these positions were only reserved for seniors! You must have worked hard.”

“Or rather I just got the professor’s good graces,” Sehun rubs the back of his neck, appearing modest, “we all know how subjective art is, I think I got lucky.”

They reach the entrance of her apartment complex. Jieun thanks him for walking her back, but to simply end the night with one sentence of gratitude seemed discourteous. She wants to know him better. Sehun seems down-to-earth and honest, like a person who’d rather wear their heart on their sleeve. Taking initiative is far from her forte but Jieun wants to try.

“Um, that bubble tea cafe you mentioned earlier. I’m happy to go whenever works for you.” 

It takes a second for Sehun to register back to the conversation that’d been prematurely ended by Jongdae. He grins a little wider, the way a child might from a visit by the tooth fairy. “Awesome, it’ll be my treat.”

“Shouldn’t I be the one to return the favor?” Jieun shakes her head with a giggle. Even under the dark of the evening sky, the excited expression highlighting his sculpted features was certainly an endearing contrast.

“Then how about exchanging contacts? We can set up a time.” 

The new number sitting in Jieun’s phone makes her giddy. They also followed each other’s messaging and social media accounts - ones Seulgi taught her how to make the week prior. “How are you not on social media? You should at least build a profile!” Jieun lied saying her family was strict, not that she didn’t have a reason to use them.

Curiosity sways her to scroll through Sehun’s photos after winding down for the night. His posts are dominated by random captures, tidbits showcasing his daily life and hints of the people around him. She could tell he was well beloved, carefree. Maybe she’s even a bit envious. A vibration startles her as a notification drops down from the screen: Sehun letting her know he’d gotten home too. She smiles to herself as she replies, wishing him a good night as she gets ready for bed. 

The calmness dissipates before she gets a chance to lie down.

Faint voices rattle from outside Jieun’s window. One of them, a distinct pitch higher than her neighbor’s. Her gut twists and she buries her head in her pillows, muffling an ugly grunt. Should she even be surprised? 

It hasn’t yet passed midnight when she was expecting karaoke to go on till much later. Though, time wasn’t a limiting factor if Baekhyun decided to pick a girl from the bunch that flattered him all night. Jieun had let down her guard not to draw her blinds. She panics, shuffling out of bed and running for her windows. If she was in for a hell of a night, she’d rather not let the other party, someone from her faculty, find out she lived next door.

Jieun manages to flip the slats fully moments before lights flicker on in the adjacent window. She could still peer through the cracks, just enough of a gap to bring the bedroom into view. No. Jieun shames herself for even thinking about who the girl on the other side might be. The devil and angel resting on her shoulders were having an internal battle; she’s not judging, she’s just taking precaution for the unsuspecting party. If she barely knows anyone there, what difference does it make to check?

Her peripheral vision ends up betraying her anyway. A girl stands awkwardly beside the door frame, thumbs twiddling in front of her leather skirt, eyes shifty under blunt bangs. Jieun felt her heart plummet. Seulgi.

Baekhyun had the audacity to pick her friend as his next target. Jieun felt anger bubbling in her stomach and she didn’t know who it was directed towards. The question ‘why’ springs around dizzily in her head. It’s true, she was the one who offered up that seat to Seulgi to save her own behind. While Jieun was hiding in the corner, Seulgi was sandwiched in a group of female strangers pining for the same guy. But Baekhyun already knew who she was, and vice versa. Maybe they’d gotten comfortable during karaoke and things escalated, nothing wrong with that. 

Except one look at Seulgi’s body language and Jieun could tell she was anything but at ease.

Regardless of why or how she ended up here, Jieun can’t doubt her friend. But she doubts Baekhyun. She doesn’t want to see him coax Seulgi into something against her will. What could she even do though? Between turning a blind eye or barging next door and blowing her cover, she’d rather up to the latter if it came down to it. 

Seulgi gives way for Baekhyun to enter the room. They’re talking, and only talking, having a seemingly ordinary conversation. Although Seulgi’s posture caves inwards through the duration, her attentive smile came off comfortable as she spoke. As Jieun watches the mundane scenario unfold, her heartbeat settles and she debates if she was better off turning away. 

Baekhyun reaches for something on a bookshelf - a thick and worn album of sorts, padded with pages and clippings sticking out from the corners. He beckons for Seulgi to come over, proceeding to hand off said item. She takes a few steps, carefully, though not carefully enough. She trips over thin air and lands herself into Baekhyun’s catching arms.

Jieun’s heartbeat spikes again. She may as well be holding her breath for equally as long as they’d stayed in that position. Baekhyun breaks away first. He puts Seulgi back upright and maintains distance as he passes the album to her once more. They exit the bedroom and out of Jieun’s line of sight. 

It’s fine. She’ll be fine. Jieun reassures herself over and over to let it go. And yet, less than an hour later, she finds herself in front of her neighbor’s door, ringing his doorbell. Baekhyun does open up, raising an eyebrow at her unannounced presence. 

“Um-” Jieun doesn’t know how to bring up the question. It wasn’t like Seulgi texted her either. “You and Seulgi. Why was she at your place just now?”

“Ah. So y