I was dreading Valentine’s Day. 

This was the first year that I actually had someone to spend it with. And that someone was the person I had been daydreaming about since we both wore onesies with feet to bed. 

But that same someone tended to go overboard with her expressions of affection. I couldn't tell if Seulgi was bursting with overdramatics from all the years she didn't tell me how she felt, or if she was punishing me for not telling her how I felt with these embarrassing proclamations of her devotion.

You guys remember the marching band, of course. The whole school remembers it. 

I’d talked to Seulgi about grand, romantic gestures, and how they made me feel uncomfortable, but that didn't stop her. She argued that I technically said that little things meant more than grand gestures, so now that she had the little things down (and she really made sure she did, she was incredibly sweet and considerate), grand gestures were fair game. Bear got me on a technicality.

To celebrate our first month together, the bear orchestrated a flash mob recreating the last scene from Dirty Dancing with her as Patrick Swayze and Lisa as Baby, and Seulgi began the performance by loudly proclaiming, "Nobody puts Bae Joohyun in the corner!" Admittedly, Seulgi's hip swivels were a real ing turn on, and I did drag her back to my dorm room right after the dance to her brains out, but I was once again humiliated in public.
 

On another occasion, Seulgi got her Theatre geek friends to perform the Romeo and Juliet balcony scene but with Seulgi and Irene instead ("Seulgiyah, Seulgiyah! Wherefore art thou, Seulgiyah?") Again, this resulted in Seulgi getting laid, and me getting horribly embarrassed in front of the entire university.
 

To celebrate the end of my midterms, Seulgi got Rosie and Wendy to sing The Flower Duet from Lakme on a megaphone, while Jisoo, Yeri, Joy and Lisa dressed as flowers and twirled around. Seulgi claimed she couldn't afford a bouquet so she "arranged" that instead. Of course, she got for that, how could she not? My bear was so cute. I was starting to suspect that maybe I was the problem, that I was encouraging Seulgi's grand gestures by rewarding her with , so I talked to my roommates about my predicament. 

“You know what they say, Irene,” Jennie said. “If you can’t beat them-”

“Beat them up!” Rosé chimed in excitedly.

“Babygirl, no,” Jennie corrected, patting the taller one’s head. 

“You want me to out-goon Seulgi?” I asked.

“I mean, your girlfriend seems to really be into these loud, showy declarations of love. Show her what it’s like to be on the receiving end of it,” Jennie said. 

“But, I mean, she has all these friends who are creative, performance arts types,” I said. “What do my friends have?”

Jennie looked at me like I was stupid. “Your friends have money.”

*

On Valentine’s Day, I assembled the troops like a general going into battle.

We were all equipped with walkie talkies and tasers (not sure what we needed the tasers for but Rosé insisted, and I could hear her and Jennie zapping each other and ). 

“Alright, team. It’s go time,” I announced. 

I knew Seulgi’s daily routine like the back of my hand. 

She woke up at eight am and would text instead of call because her roommates were still in the room with her. Today was no exception.

Ddeulgibear: good morning, my snuggliest 😚😚😚 I missed you in my sleep. Dream Joohyun was playing hard to get last night. I’m so excited to spend our first Valentine’s Day together. I promised you no crazy gestures today but I hope you’ll let me spoil you at least. I love you, Hyunnie bunny 🥰

She had a lecture at nine thirty and then would meet up with me for lunch. 

When I spotted her at our usual table at the SUB, she had decorated with a little vase of dandelions that she picked from the football field. She got my favourite tteokbokki and handed me a small brown bear that was sporting the same black leather jacket that she was wearing.

“So you have your very own Seulgibear whenever we can’t be together,” she explained. Ugh, my heart. Why is she so cute? I almost felt bad about what I was about to do to her. 

Here goes nothing. 

“Seulgi? What the hell is