Kim​ ​Yongsun had been Moon Byul-i's best friend for as long as she could remember. Now that they were in college, Moon Byul often wondered how Yongsun and her had been best friends for almost fifteen years; especially because they met in one of the worst ways possible. 

……… 

Kindergarten

“Hey, that's my chair!”,  five-year-old Yongsun uttered. 

The five-year-old Moon Byul woke up from her nap. She wiped off the drool in with her sleeves as she opened her eyes. “Who are you?”, asked Moon Byul, looking up at Yongsun. 

“I'm Yongsun. This is my chair,” Yongsun declared, tapping the chair that Moon Byul was sitting on. 

“But I'm sitting here...”, Moon Byul complained.

Yongsun's eyebrows met in the middle. She glared and frowned. “Stand up!”, she demanded. 

“No! I'm sitting here! Hmph!” Moon Byul crossed her arms, refusing to move.

Yongsun growled as her hand curled into a fist. She stepped towards Moon Byul and brought down her clenched hand on the crown of Moon Byul's head.

Moon Byul wailed as soon as Yongsun hit her head.

“Wahhhh!”, she cried out, loud enough for the whole class to hear. She stood up and with all the strength she had in her tiny arms, pulled both of Yongsun's round cheeks.

The gesture was enough to make tears roll down Yongsun's face. 

Yongsun whined, urging the teacher to come towards the two. 

Thankfully, before anything else could happen, the teacher was able to separate them and prevent a big fight. 

The next day, Moon Byul and Yongsun were brought together to apologize and make peace. After much coaxing from their parents, they finally faced each other to ask for forgiveness. 

“I'm sorry for hitting you, Byul-i,” said Yongsun with an apologetic face. 

“Sorry for hitting you too, Yongsun-ah,” Moon Byul replied. 

“Hug?”, Yongsun offered and spread her arms wide open. 

Moon Byul nodded her head. She then embraced Yongsun who was oblivious to the mischievous smile on Moon Byul's face. 

……… 

Grade Three

“Yongdonnie, let me copy your homework,” urged Moon Byul. 

“Give me candy first,” Yongsun replied, making Moon Byul frown. 

“Can I just buy you some later?”, Moonbyul suggested. 

“Nope,” Yongsun refused and crossed her arms, “candy first,” she uttered. 

Moon Byul couldn't do anything but agree to Yongsun's demands. She opened her bag and scooped up some candy, presenting a handful to Yongsun. 

“Here,” Yongsun grinned and gladly handed Moon Byul her notebook. “Don't copy everything.” 

“Thanks, Yongdonnie!”

……… 

High School

“Hey, yeba!” Moon Byul greeted Yongsun as she put her arm over her shoulders. 

“Aishh, you corgi, lower your voice. We're in the hallway,” Yongsun reminded Moon Byul. She looked around and casually placed her hand on Moon Byul's waist. 

“Did you pack your own lunch, yeba?” asked Moon Byul. 

“Yeah. You know mom's been really busy with taking care of the restaurant,” Yongsun stated. Her mother owned a restaurant in the neighborhood where they had just moved. Moon Byul's house was just across the road from her home, making it convenient whenever they wanted to hang out. 

“Can I have some of your cooking later? Pleaseee?”, Moon Byul asked her best friend. She knew Yongsun was an excellent cook, and she didn't really like her own lunch. Not because her mom was a bad cook, it was just that Yongsun was better. 

“Only if you ace our exams later,” Yongsun responded with a smirk. She wanted to challenge her friend to do better at school. 

Moon Byul groaned and rolled her eyes. Yongsun always saw through her. She knew her best friend was aware of how much she hated exams. Sometimes she would just sit back and leave exam papers on her desk with more than half the items unanswered. 

Yongsun laughed at the way her best friend dreaded the thought and dragged herself along to their classroom. 

When the two entered, a group of their classmates looked at them and started whispering. They ignored the girls and sat down on their seats. 

Yongsun sat on the front row, two chairs before the chatting bunch. Moon Byul sat on the middle row, only a chair behind the girls who sat on the desks and gossiped.

No matter how much the girls tried to converse in hushed voices, their mumbling was loud enough for Yongsun and Moon Byul to hear. 

“Hey, did you know that Moon Byul is dating someone?”

“Yeah, I heard too. They say that it's a girl from another section.” 

Hearing the rumors, both Moon Byul and Yongsun were pissed. They clenched their fists and gritted their teeth, trying to hold back the natural reaction of telling their classmates to shut up. 

The teacher arrived and class began. Yongsun and Moon Byul sighed in relief when their talkative classmates were separated. 

Moonbyul did her best to answer the questions in the exam paper during the next subjects. 

When it was lunch break, Yongsun and Moon Byul sat next to each other and shared their food. 

“Byul, open your mouth,” Yongsun ordered. 

Moon Byul obeyed and opened as Yongsun fed her. She smiled as soon as she tasted Yongsun's cooking. 

“Is it good, Byul?”, Yongsun eagerly asked for her best friend's judgment. 

“It's bad,” Moon Byul swallowed the food and answered, which made Yongsun frown. 

“I'm just kidding, yeba,” Moon Byul laughed, “it's good,” she continued. 

Yongsun's eyes widened and sparkled with excitement. 

“Really?” 

“Yeah,” Moon Byul nodded her head. “It's not just good, it's the best because you cooked it..” she mumbled to herself. 

“What was that, Byul?” queried Yongsun curiously. 

“It's nothing,” Moon Byul replied with a smile. 

Hours passed and finally, classes were over for the day. Yongsun waited in front of her locker while Moon Byul went somewhere. 

“You, you, and you,” Moon Byul pointed at her classmates and gave each of them a stark glare. 

Moon Byul had chosen to confront the three on the school rooftop. 

“If you ever go and spread rumors about me again, especially  about me dating some person I don't know, I will cut your hair,” she spoke in a sharp tone. 

“And. If you involve or bring Yongsun into any of this, I will tell my father,” Moon Byul warned. She smirked when she saw how the girls' expressions changed to being nervous. They knew that Moon Byul's father was a police officer. 

Moon Byul simply turned around and returned downstairs. She saw Yongsun standing in front of her locker waiting for her. She quickly changed to her sneakers. 

Yongsun chuckled when she saw that Moon Byul was struggling to tie her shoelaces again. “Oh, Byul..” she sighed and crouched down to tie Moon Byul's shoelaces for her. 

Moon Byul watched as Yongsun tied her shoelaces properly. She was a real klutz when it came to tying her shoes. Since they were ten, she'd often trip due to her untied shoe strings. Thankfully, Yongsun was always there to catch her. 

“There we go,” Yongsun smiled as she stood up and stepped back. She looked at Moon Byul and said, “Let's go home.”

While walking home, Yongsun couldn't stop looking at her best friend. She kept taking steps forward, her eyes not letting go Moon Byul. 

“What's the matter, yeba?” asked Moon Byul. She could feel that her best friend had something in her mind. 

“It's nothing, Byulkong...” Yongsun tugged on her skirt. 

“That's a new nickname,” Moon Byul grinned, “what's up?” 

“You do know that we'll be going to college in a few months, right?”

“Yeah, and?” Moon Byul turned to Yongsun with raised brows. 

“What's your plan, Byulkong?”, Yongsun queried with worry on her face. She and Moon Byul had been classmates for as long as she could remember. She had the feeling that she might get separated from her, especially because she had no clear idea of what course Moon Byul was planning to pursue. 

After all, it was possible for Moon Byul to follow her father's tracks and become a police officer, or take after her mother and take up business. 

Hearing the question, Moon Byul became quiet. She already had something in her mind, but she was somewhat worried. She wasn't sure if she would still be able to stay with her best friend, knowing that Yongsun would probably pursue singing or become a flight attendant. 

“Tell me yours first,” Moon Byul dared. 

“How about we just say it at the same time to make it fair?” Yongsun suggested. 

“Alright then” Moon Byul nodded her head in agreement. “In 3, 2, 1—”

“I'm taking up Performing Arts!” the two exclaimed in a chorus.

They looked at each other. Moon Byul laughed and Yongsun had a wide grin. It was a real bliss being able to laugh like this. 

……… 

Present Day​

Moon Byul let out a grunt as she sat up on the bed. She reached for the alarm and turned it off before she glanced to her left. She tapped the shoulder of the sleeping Yongsun to wake her up. 

“Yeah?” Yongsun groaned, opening her eyes to the bright sunlight coming in through the window and the sight of her best friend beside her. 

“Good morning, Yongkong,” Moon Byul grinned. 

Yongsun yawned. “What did you draw on my face this time?” she inquired, turning to her best friend. 

“Nothing...” Moon Byul coyly smiled and left the bed. She stretched out and looked around her and Yongsun's room. “I'm just gonna use the bathroom.” 

“Just go,” Yongsun sighed. She looked at a mirror and saw that Moon Byul had drawn whiskers on both her cheeks. Her brows furrowed. 

“You had better not used permanent marker!” Yongsun threatened Moon Byul. 

“Don't worry, I didn't!” Moon Byul replied from the bathroom. She then laughed, remembering that she had taken pictures of the sleeping Yongsun earlier. 

“Ughh..” Yongsun dragged herself off the bed. She still had to go to her classes. She couldn't afford to get late. Exams were next week. 

The day went on as usual, until it was lunch break. 

Yongsun and Moon Byul sat across each other in the cafeteria, their eyes locked together. 

Moon Byul grinned. “Do you wanna hang out later, Yongkong?” 

“No can do, Byulkong. I've already promised to go on a group study,” Yongsun shook her head and took a bite of her food. 

Moon Byul dug in and nodded her head. Although it was certainly weird since she and Yongsun always studied together, she couldn't stop her best friend. “Who are you going with?” 

“Oh, just Eric and some of our other classmates,” Yongsun answered with a smile. 

Moon Byul stopped chewing when she heard the name. She unknowingly gripped her fork tighter and Yongsun noticed it. 

“Something wrong, Byulkong?” 

“Uhm.. Oh-uh—nothing's wrong..”, Moon Byul dismissed the situation and continued eating. She knew Yongsun would definitely scold her for being childish if she told her she didn't like Eric. She had been hearing the guy's name from Yongsun's mouth for more than a month now. 

“Okay....”, Yongsun's suspicion lingered. Something was definitely wrong and she just couldn't put it to words. 

Moon Byul swallowed the guilt and hopelessness she felt. She averted her gaze. How was she going to tell Yongsun that she missed her?

“I promise I'll make it up to you, Byul,” Yongsun smiled. She swore that if it wasn't for her wish to let Moon Byul become independent, she'd never really go with strangers. Plus, there was that other reason as well. 

There's that lie again. Moonbyul silently nodded her head. She and Yongsun were drifting apart and it w