“Careful!”

“How am I supposed to know? I don’t climb buildings very often to be honest!”

“Then you really need to have more fun more often.”

From the ledge Yoona clung onto as though her whole life depended on it, she glared up at Yuri’s dangling feet above her. She was already hoisting herself up onto the roof of the building they were climbing – some old, long abandoned corner shop or something.

“Is that a spider?”

“YOONA, GET YOUR UP HERE!”

Already, Yuri was perched on the edge of the roof. Yoona sighed.

“Don’t die,” she muttered feebly. “I’m on my way.”

With Yuri’s not-so-helpful guidance, Yoona pulled herself a little higher. One of her feet swayed freely, the other sat inside a space between bricks. She groaned, still advancing upwards. What surprised her was that Yuri didn’t even get the slightest bit impatient – she just continued to guide Yoona forward.

“See? You’re almost here! Just grab-”

“Oi! What d’you think you’re doin’ up there?” A man had appeared below them, his bushy moustache prickling in the heat and his belly hanging over his belt. “Get down!”

“Quick, Yoona!” Yuri flapped her hand in Yoona’s face desperately. “Grab my hand!”

“I’ll come up for you if you don’t get down,” the man jumped up, his hands reaching out for Yoona’s feet – Yoona shrieked and tucked her feet upward, resulting in her arms being the only things keeping her from tumbling backward.

“Come on, then!” Yuri raised an eyebrow daringly.

“Yuri, I’m going to fall,” Yoona closed her eyes firmly, biting the insides of her cheeks. “I hate you, Yuri, dammit!”

“Well if you keep your eyes closed like that you’ve got no chance, you idiot.”

With a sharp inhale, Yoona seized the very edge of the rooftop and tossed her whole weight skyward. Below her, the obese man still grabbed at the air. In seconds, Yoona was pulling herself over the edge of the roof and rolling onto its flat surface beside Yuri.

“You’re strong?”

“Apparently,” Yoona panted, wiping at her brow. “But I still hate you.”

“I’ll get you when you come down, stupid kids!”

“Come on, let’s sit on the other side,” Yuri gestured towards the side where the man’s shouts came from. “I don’t want to listen to him any longer.”

They ended up sitting above a desolate alleyway, watching street cats pounce across bins and hiss at one another. Yoona had to pinch her arm a couple times to check that she truly had just climbed onto a rooftop. Yuri, on the other hand, was humming a tune and kicking her feet against the wall.

“How often do you do this?” Yoona asked curiously after far too long a silence.

“All the time,” Yuri stated, shrugging. “It’s way better than staying inside a stupid orphanage.”

“You live in an orphanage?” Yoona looked to her apologetically. “I’m-”

“Don’t bother with the ‘I’m sorry’ stuff,” Yuri sighed, tucking her hair behind her ears. “My parents have been dead since I can remember – to me, at least. They left me at the orphanage when I was weeks born, apparently. It’s really not a big deal; it’s just all I know.”

“Right,” Yoona felt a little sad and guilty now. Sure, her mum wasn’t around, and she was always sulking about that, but at least she had a dad. “Don’t you like it there?”

Yuri shrugged. “It’s all right. Hyoyeon’s fun, Taeyeon’s kind, Sooyoung’s full of hope and Sunny’s always there for comfort and smiles. But it’s a bit suffocating. I prefer to be up here, where I can feel the fresh air against my face and am free.”

Without even a second’s warning, Yoona leaned over and wrapped Yuri into a hug. At first it was awkward, the two of them just sat stiffly. Then Yuri leaned into the hug, resting her head on Yoona’s shoulder.

“I told you I’m fine,” Yuri grumbled.

“This hug is for me,” Yoona insisted. “Now just go along with it.”

“Can we meet again soon?” Yuri asked as the sun began to drop into the distance and the moon began to show faintly.

“Definitely.”