“Wub wub wub wub brrrrbrbbbrrr squeee.”

If she was getting up to practice for a show, the sound of dubstep blaring from her phone would have been welcomed. But no, it was 6AM and the alarm she set was telling her it was time to get up and head to a place she was dreading. She managed to get herself up immediately without hitting snooze.  She stripped as she sleep-walked over to the shower, leaving a trail of clothing in her wake.

“You can’t mess this up, Hyoyeon,” her mother had warned the previous week. “Make sure you lay out all of your clothes the night before, ironed and ready to go. This is different from any job you’ve had before.”

“Different” as in she wasn’t flipping burgers or mixing cocktails. The morning prep for this job was far more demanding. After showering, she pulled up her stockings and decided on a long, black pencil skirt with a white button-up blouse. The clothes were so plain and boring that she decided to pair the outfit with a set of lightning shaped earrings, but even those weren’t enough to offset the drab ensemble. She sighed as she stared at her reflection one last time before heading out of the door.

“This is as good as it’s gonna get.”

She grabbed for a water bottle in the fridge and stepped into her heels, ready to head over to the bus stop. For all of the trouble she had to go through getting ready, she at least had one thing to look forward to. Lee Jinki.

When she finally arrived at Peace Elementary, she was overwhelmed by the large crowds of children gathered near the entrance. She hadn’t even spent a minute in the schoolyard and could already begin to notice the patterns. She spotted the “pretty” group, the “troublemakers” and the smart ones perched on the stoop, books opened and pencils out, comparing their notes from the day before. It hadn’t changed one bit since her time there.

“Hyoyeon!” She looked up and saw her high school crush, Lee Jinki, waving her over from the entrance. She rushed up the steps with a bright smile on her face.

“You made it!”

He was impeccably dressed in a light blue long-sleeved dress shirt and dark grey slacks. His hair was neatly slicked back and he sported the boyish grin she could never resist. She couldn’t figure out how a sixth grade teacher managed to look like a super model, but she wasn’t complaining. She was sure there was plenty of broken hearts amongst the female students in his class.

Onew, or Lee Jinki as she would now have to refer to him in this professional setting, had been a friend of the family for years. He was the son of one of her mother’s good friends and she’d been infatuated with him ever since she saw him do a Justin Timberlake routine at their 10^th grade talent show. He had certainly grown up well. His youthful features still remained, but her head barely reached his shoulder now, even with the 4 inch pumps she was wearing. She found herself hypnotized by his biceps, which seemed ready to burst through the fabric of the shirt, or was that just her imagination?

“The bell is about to ring in a few minutes. Let me walk you over to your homeroom.”

She walked briskly in order to keep up with Onew’s long strides but was having trouble managing her heels. For the past week she had been stressing over this job, wanting to call him up and tell him to just forget about it. But what choice did she have? Dancing gigs and part-time jobs just didn’t pay the kind of money needed to cover LA rent, and besides her mother would murder her if she bailed. She was consoled by constantly reminding herself that this would be a temporary position. She also realized the job would require spending more time with Onew, and she was ready and willing to enjoy the perks of being his co-worker. She hoped it would bring them closer together and finally free her from her annoying friend-zone predicament.

The bell rang which signaled the start of the day and Hyoyeon was nearly toppled in the middle of the hallway by a mad rush of little ones and felt herself naturally grabbing for Onew’s arm. She quickly let go after she realized where she was. He appeared calm but she became flustered anyway. She could never read his expressions.

They arrived at Room 315 and he opened the door and waved over a woman surprisingly shorter than herself.

“Hello!  We’ve been waiting for you!” The short-haired woman’s adorable smile made her eyes crinkle. She waved Hyoyeon over. “I’ll take it from here Mr. Lee, thank you!”

“Take care of her, Sunny!”

Sunny was tiny, but she was a pretty little thing. She had a cute blonde bob and when she smiled her charm radiated. Sunny was the perfect name for someone with a face who could achieve such warmth.

She walked Hyoyeon to the front of the room. There were 20 pairs of little eyes focused on them. Hyoyeon adored kids, she really did, but for all of their attention to be on her that way, it was nerve-wracking. She hadn’t exactly been a model student growing up, and spent more time in her daydreams about starring in her own dance movie than paying any mind to her teachers. Now she’d have to be the one trying to get these kids in line.

“Class, this is Ms. Hyoyeon. She’ll be here to help me take care of you guys.”

“Good morning, Ms. Hyoyeon,” came the monotonous drone of tiny voices.

“Hi… kids.”

Throughout the morning, Hyoyeon happily went around chatting with the 9 year olds and helping them with their assignments. It didn’t turn out to be such a bad deal. Sunny was the one lecturing and Hyoyeon got more one-to-one time, which she enjoyed. She was helping one of the boys on his math assignment when Sunny called her over to her desk.

“Hyoyeon, I’m impressed! You’re amazing!” She gave her a thumbs up.

Hyoyeon didn’t like the idea of being praised for a job she felt was easier than anything she’d had to do before. “Thanks, but it’s not rocket science. I’m not up here lecturing like you are.”

“Let me explain, Tao is a new student. He hasn’t spoken to anyone for the past few days. Won’t even look us in the eye, let alone finish any schoolwork.”

Hyo looked back at the little boy she had just been helping. He had put his homework to the side and had his head down on the table. Was it the same boy who had beamed at her when he got problem 10 correct on the first try?

“I don’t know what it is, Hyoyeon, but you’ve got it.”

What was this warm feeling that had spread throughout her body?

During the kids’ recess time, Sunny began to fill her in on some of the teacher gossip so that she’d be prepared when she met the rest of the staff.

“Don’t ever talk about your love life in front of Taeyeon, she’s still not over an ex-boyfriend of hers and she takes it out on everyone else.  And whatever you do, don’t piss Krystal off!”

Hyoyeon listened intently and absorbed all the information she could. She wanted to get through this job with the least drama possible. The entertainment business was bad enough, she didn’t need it here.

During the kids’ social studies lesson, Sunny nearly tripped on a cardboard box near her desk on her way to the chalkboard. She sighed deeply.

“Hyoyeon, I hate to be a pain, but could you take this box over to Room 628? I keep forgetting to give that homeroom teacher her books back.”

“Not a problem,” Hyoyeon said with a grin as she bent over to pick up the box. It was fairly heavy, but she thought it best to bear it and take it over without complaint. She was beginning to feel blisters form on her toes and fantasized about chucking the shoes against the wall as soon as she got inside of her apartment. But she had more than half of the day left until that blissful moment arrived.

Outside of Room 628, she could hear the teacher in the middle of a lesson. She wanted to knock but she really couldn’t manage it without dropping the box and making an even bigger commotion. The door was slightly ajar, so she kicked it open with her foot and walked into the class. The teacher was so busy writing dates on the board that she hadn’t even noticed her enter. Suddenly, Hyoyeon heard a quiet whoosh and she immediately dodged to the side in order to avoid getting hit with whatever it was.

“Whoa!” she exclaimed as she nearly fell over. She finally had the teacher’s full attention.

“Yes?”

Hyoyeon looked over to her right and saw what had been hurtling through the air. The giant spit ball was sliding down the board, in all of its disgusting glory.

The teacher faced her and that’s when Hyoyeon finally got a good look at her. The woman was tall and slender, with long brown waves that cascaded down her back. She wore a cream-colored silk blouse paired with a tweed blazer and matching pencil skirt that seemed out of place in such an ordinary environment. She was dressed a bit too formally, but undoubtedly elegant. Her skin was fair and her slight curves fit her frame quite well. Hyo couldn’t help but notice how attractive she was, even with those sharp eyes glowering towards her at that very moment.

The teacher addressed the class. “You want to throw spitballs at me? That’s TWO essays we’re writing for tonight.” The entire class groaned.

Hyoyeon gulped and gave an awkward smile. “Umm… I’m here to drop off this box for Ms. Sunny.”

The teacher looked back at her and returned the awkward smile, snapping out of strict teacher mode. “Oh, you can just leave it wherever you want. I mean…d-d-do you need help with that or…right by the door is fine.”

 Hyoyeon stifled a giggle. She had obviously interrupted at a difficult time. She decided to leave it on top of the teacher’s neatly organized desktop so she wouldn’t have trouble lifting it later on.

“Ms…”

“Hyoyeon.”

“Hyoyeon. Thank you.” The angelic smile the woman gave at that moment made her want to assign 20 essays to whatever jackass kid had thrown the spitball her way.

“Yeah, sure,” Hyoyeon turned to walk out of the room but paused and turned back.

“That.” She pointed towards the slimy paper ball that had already fallen down onto the chalkboard ledge. ”Don’t punish all of them for it. I’m sure they’re good kids.”

She looked around the room and immediately spotted a guilty face. How could she not when she was the queen of classroom hijinks back in middle school. She glared at the child a bit, just so he would know that she knew, before leaving the class.

 “Who was that pretty teacher?” Hyoyeon asked Sunny when she reached the classroom.

Sunny immediately busted out laughing,”Ms. Seohyun? I forgot to warn you about that one. She’s really smart and beautiful, just a bit uptight and anti-social. She’s a true workaholic and doesn’t really like going out or even having lunch with the rest of us, so we’ve given up trying to invite her.”

Hyoyeon flashed back to the menacing glare in Seohyun’s eye after the spitball incident. But shortly after, her angelic smile had wiped it all away.

“She was nice.”

Sunny shrugged. “I happen to think she just needs to get laid.”

“Don’t we all?”

Sunny laughed. “Hmm… well speaking of getting laid, I can’t wait to introduce you to my girlfriend. You’ll meet her at lunch.” Sunny’s eyes suddenly widened. “Wait, you’re not a homophobe or anything, right?”

Hyoyeon chuckled. “It’s not a problem. I’ve … uh… had my fair share of experimentation.” She considered herself bi but didn’t necessarily like to announce it, since people, both gay and straight, never seemed to have a pleasant reaction.

“Got it,” said Sunny, relieved. ”Wait til you see her. You’ll want to dip back into that experimentation phase, believe me.”

The smell of cheesy goodness had Hyoyeon entranced as she walked into the teacher’s lounge. There were a group of about 5 teachers gathered, including Onew, ready to take a break from the munchkins they had to deal with throughout the day. Sunny walked over to boxes of pizza that were stacked on the counter and inhaled the scent.

“Which one of you should I hug for this?” Sunny’s eyes sparkled as she looked around the room.

A woman sitting at the big round table giggled and lowered her head as she shyly put her hand up to take credit for the pizza. Sunny smiled as wide as ever as she began walking over to the woman until Onew tapped her on the shoulder.

“You don’t need to hug me for it, but I paid for this.”

Both Sunny and the woman seated at the table frowned.

“Just look at her!” Sunny pouted as she pointed in the woman’s direction. “Yuri looks like she needs a hug anyway.” The woman stood up and held her arms open, ready to receive Ms. Sunny’s loving embrace.

Yuri was dressed in a pair of shorts and hooded sweater with sneakers on her feet, but she looked nothing short of a golden goddess. Her tan skin glowed even under the dull fluorescent lighting of the teacher’s lounge and her curves were showcased even in the plainest of outfits. With the silver whistle hanging around her neck, Hyoyeon could only deduce that Ms. Sunny had fallen for the school’s P.E. teacher. She didn’t blame her.

“How professional,” another teacher seated at the table teased. ”Look, I don’t need to be reminded how single and lonely I am even at work.”

“Oh stop it, Taeyeon,” Sunny remarked. ”How many times have we tried hooking you up with Yuri’s brother?”

So this is the Debbie Downer, Hyoyeon thought to herself as she quickly glanced over at the cute brunette.

Taeyeon sneered at the couple. “I don’t want to be reminded of work all the time, so I’d rather not date her male clone, thank you very much.”

Hyoyeon found herself looking over at Onew and her eyes lingered a bit too long. He noticed and smiled a smile so pure that she felt the wind was knocked out of her for a moment. He gave her a wink and cleared his throat.

“You guys can get back to matchmaking in a moment, but I’d like to say a few words about our newest co-worker, Hyoyeon.”

Hyoyeon felt her face get warm and she did an awkward wave at their small audience before he continued with his speech.

“She’s a good friend of mine and I’d love it if you would welcome her as one of our own. She’s a hard worker and overall dependable person, and you won’t be disappointed.”

Suddenly the door to the lounge burst open and in walked Ms. Seohyun. A few of the teachers glanced at each other. It seemed to Hyoyeon that it was a rare occurrence.

“Hello, Seohyun.”

Seohyun gave a quick nod in acknowledgement. “Mr. Lee.”

“I was just welcoming our newest team member…”

“We’ve met.” Seohyun sent a smile in her direction that made her stomach drop as she walked over to the table and set her bagged lunch down before taking the seat next to her.

“Seohyun, I bought pizza for everyone.”

“Mr. Lee, thank you for the offer, but I’d rather not die of heart disease.”

“Right…”

Hyoyeon snickered and whatever nerves she had felt just 20 seconds earlier melted away.

The teachers took their places at the table and began to make small talk with Hyoyeon. They were all fascinated that she was a dancer and hung on to her every word as she told them a little, but not too much, about her other profession. Ms. Seohyun remained stoic throughout as she un-wrapped her sandwich and munched on her baby carrots. Hyoyeon couldn’t tell if she was listening to the conversation or not since she seemed to be immersed in her lunch.

“So guys,” Yuri began,” I was thinking that a faculty outing has been long overdue. Reggie’s tonight?”

“Reggie’s?” groaned Taeyeon as she slumped back in her seat, “that hole in the wall…”

“Says the girl who was dancing on top of the bar the last time we went,” countered Sunny.

 Ms. Seohyun looked up to address Yuri. “So what you’re saying, Ms. Kwon, is that the staff should go out to a drinking establishment on a weeknight?”

“Uh… yeah.”

“And what kind of example would we be setting for the children?”

Yuri smiled. “Well it’s a drinking establishment. Children shouldn’t be there.”

 “I think it’s a great idea, Yuri,” Onew offered, “I need a morale boost. Let’s bond over some beers.”

“Yeah it’s a great idea!” Hyoyeon piped up, sounding a bit too eager. Her face turned a bit pink when she suddenly feared she may be reeking of desperation. “I want to get to know you all a little better that is…”

Seohyun snuck a glance at Hyoyeon and immediately turned away to face the other faculty members. “I think a few hours wouldn’t hurt…as long as I get to bed by 12...”

Everyone looked stunned.

“Well then,” Onew began, “If Seohyun’s going then none of you have a good excuse not to.”

Sunny agreed. “Then it’s settled! Let’s meet up at 6, yeah?”

Hyoyeon rushed home that afternoon and changed into her a pair of jeans and some comfortable sneakers, her favorite combination. She was ready to have a good time and Onew wasn’t the only motivation factor. She was curious to learn more about this group of people and she was much more herself in a relaxed atmosphere.

She was awkward for the first round of drinks, but as soon as Sunny suggested they do a shot, “Party Hyo” emerged. The warmth of the alcohol began to spread throughout her body which numbed the aching pain in her feet leftover from her first full day in heels.

She was chatting up all of the teachers and soon felt as if she had known them for years. Well, everyone except Ms. Seohyun. She had noticed her trying to get her attention a few times, but others would pull her into a conversation and she forgot all about her.

She was on her third gin & tonic when she remembered Jinki. She had just finished discussing her favorite drinks with the lovebirds, Yuri & Sunny, who had since moved to a darkened corner of the room and were clearly trying to get some alone time. Wasn’t her goal to try and bust out of the friend zone by the end of this gig? Suddenly, Usher’s “Make Love in This Club” starting blaring over the speakers and gave her the perfect opportunity.

“Yes!” Onew exclaimed, more than a bit tipsy at that point,” This is my jam! Who picked this one?”

He walked towards the jukebox and his hips loosened up as he moved to the beat.

He’s still got it, she thought to herself as her own hips began to sway. She was about to make her move but she was a little too slow.

“Oppa, I picked it!”

A beautiful girl with a milky white complexion and a perfect figure began making her way over to her high school crush.

“Krystal, you have great taste.” He put his hand out to grab hers and they danced together. Hyoyeon was horrified.

She stood motionless as she watched the girl grind her skinny little all over Onew’s crotch. Who knew even elementary school teachers got down that way? She couldn’t help but stare, and no one noticed as they were all absorbed into their own interactions. Sunny and Yuri were shamelessly making out by that point. She felt like a loser for a moment.

Suddenly, she felt a hand resting lightly on the small of her back. Her reaction time was becoming slower and she barely began to look away from Onew’s private dance party before she heard a woman’s voice softly murmur into her ear.

“Hyoyeon, are you feeling ok?”

She looked up to find Seohyun’s shining deer-like orbs staring back at her with a look of concern. Hyoyeon only smirked back. Even with her senses dulled by the liquor, from this distance she could smell the slight scent of sweet vanilla fragrance.

“Do you know how to dance?”

“Well… I’ve danced at weddings before? But no, not really… Hyoyeon!”

Drunken Hyo didn’t wait for Seohyun to finish her statement. She pulled her by the hand and led her over to the jukebox. Seohyun stumbled over and tried to get her hand loose, but Hyoyeon’s grip was firm. She rolled her hips to the beat and laid a hand on Seohyun’s waist as she pulled her closer. Seohyun hadn’t had a drop of alcohol, yet her face was flushed pink. Hyoyeon looked like she was having so much fun and the way her body moved looked as if she was born to dance. Seohyun was mostly stiff but let herself relax a bit as Hyoyeon led her to the beat. She looked down at the pretty blonde and was amused by her expression, drunk and completely gone into the music.

After a few minutes, they noticed the bar had become silent. The song had long ended and all eyes were on them. Seohyun felt self-conscious and let her arms free from Hyoyeon’s grasp. Drunken Hyo was not fazed.

“Either someone plays another song, or buys us some more drinks. Seohyun, I drink vodka, how about you?”

“I… don’t drink.”

“Of course you do.”

That was her last memory of the night.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hyoyeon opened her eyes and was greeted by a burst of sunlight coming in through the open windows in her bedroom. She quickly shut her eyes again and hid under the warmth and comfort of her blanket.

Why the hell didn’t I shut the blinds last night?

Suddenly, it hit her all at once. felt dry, her feet ached and she felt nauseous but those were mere sensations compared to the splitting headache that throbbed at her temples. She wouldn’t have tried sitting up if it weren’t for the savory smell of breakfast foods currently traveling up her nostrils. She stood up to follow the scent and was immediately overwhelmed with hunger. Her stomach troubles subsided as salivated and her feet took her towards the kitchen. Then, it dawned on her. She didn’t have a roommate. Did her mom pop in for another surprise check-in and decide to let her sleep while she cooked breakfast? That would be odd since Hyo hadn’t given her the key to the apartment yet. She slowly crept into her kitchen, her aches and pains replaced by nervous palpitations.

Maybe I succeeded in seducing Onew last night and he’s cooking us breakfast.

She pictured the scenario and her stomach dropped. She hoped it wasn’t the case. If she was going to do something out of character like spend the night with a man she wasn’t dating, she at least would have liked to remember it.

She was shocked when she finally entered the room and saw the figure of a tall brunette woman in front of her stove.

“Who… are you?”

The woman’s head snapped up and she turned to face her. Hyoyeon could not believe her eyes. It was the last person she’d ever imagine waking up to.

“Good morning, Ms. Hyoyeon.”

Seohyun was wearing the same blouse from the night before, but this time paired with a familiar pair of black trousers and hair still visibly damp.

“We don’t have a lot of time so go brush your teeth and fix your hair. I’ll have breakfast ready by the time you make it back here.”

She spoke calmly as if this was the most ordinary situation. Yes, Seohyun, someone she barely knew, wearing her pants and cooking breakfast in her own kitchen. Just a day in the life of Kim Hyo. She was too groggy to argue and did exactly as she was told. She returned to find a pair of deformed omelets on the table. At least, that’s what they resembled. Some of the veggies were charred beyond recognition. She never imagined someone could screw up eggs, but there was a first time for everything.

Seohyun took the seat next to Hyoyeon and slowly took a bite. She noticed Hyoyeon staring from the corner of her eye.

“Yes?”

“What is this?”

“Breakfast…?”

“No,” Hyoyeon pointed at the plates and back at Seohyun,”All of this. You in my house, cooking me eggs. I don’t believe we’ve spoken more than 5 words to each other before today.”

Seohyun remained silent and began pushing her food around on her plate.

“Look, I don’t mean to be rude. I appreciate this. But if I was being all drunk and unbearable, you guys could’ve easily just sent for a taxi.”

“We couldn’t leave you. Not in the state you were in.”

“Eh, you could’ve dropped me out on the stoop. I’d have been fine. The landlord would’ve found me crawling out on the lawn in the morning, but I’d have survived.”

Seohyun wouldn’t look up and gave her plate an uneasy smile.

“We better finish our breakfast and get to school. Wouldn’t want to be late on your second day.”

“No, how could I?”

 She decided not to push the issue any further. Seohyun wasn’t budging, but Sunny would certainly fill her in. Back at Peace Elementary, she got a few strange stares on her way to Ms. Sunny’s class, even from staff she had never seen before.

Word must get around quick, she thought to herself, as she felt her cheeks flush. She tried to remember anything embarrassing she might’ve done the night before, but it wasn’t like anyone else had been sober. And it’s not like she was the only one acting out that night. So what gave?

If Hyoyeon had indeed been the laughingstock of the elementary school staff last night, Sunny did not let on one bit. In fact, she seemed to be in a better mood than the day before. She hummed as she handed back papers and smiled more than usual, which Hyoyeon thought impossible. She hadn’t even scolded her when she fell asleep during a grammar lesson, her head hitting Sunny’s desk and making a loud thump noise that interrupted her lecture on adjectives.

They finally got a short break mid-morning when the children were busy working in groups on a craft project.

“Sunny. How did things go last night?”

“Oh last night?” Sunny grinned as she rested her head upon her desk. “Did you see that dress Yuri was wearing?”

“Yuri?”

“You won’t believe it, but she looked even better when she was out of it…”

“Sunny, oh my god!” Hyoyeon began pointing at herself, “Me! How did I act?”

No amount of alcohol or drugs could now wipe the mental image of Sunny in bed with the P.E. teacher.

“You?”

Hyoyeon was surprised the woman could even remember the names of her students and hadn’t resorted to referring to everyone as “Yuri” by that point.

“Oh, girl you were wasted.”

“Yes I know, but how wasted?”

“Well, around the time that Yuri told me she wanted to continue things at her place,” she stopped to reminisce before she continued,” I remember you were there. The bar was closing up. You could barely walk and Jinki had to help you out to the car.”

 “I left in Mr. Lee’s car?”

Sunny’s brows furrowed as she racked her memories for anything non Yuri-related from the night before.

“No… we couldn’t get you into his car. That’s right, you refused to get into anyone’s car!”

Hyoyeon sighed heavily. Not a great first impression.

“So how did I get home?” She dreaded hearing the conclusion to the story, but she had to know why people were looking at her funny.

“Well the last I remember was you clinging to Ms. Seohyun.”

Hyoyeon’s eyes widened at the mention of that name.

“You know, now that I think about it, every time I looked over at you, you were with Ms. Seohyun! And I remember you crying hysterically in the parking lot, refusing to go home if it wasn’t with her!”

“I… but I barely know her!”

“Gosh, I know!” Sunny continued, “But what was even more shocking was how you got her to dance. And even take a few shots. The girl was talking and laughing… she almost seemed like a normal person.”

“Sunny, she IS a normal person.”

“Oh and her pants!”

Hyoyeon froze completely. “Her pants?”

Sunny’s face twisted into a scowl. “Oh Hyoyeon, it was disgusting.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You threw up all over Ms. Seohyun’s pants. I mean, exorcist-style. Chunks of food flying around everywhere, I’m surprised it was only her pants and the floor that got most of the love…”

“OK, I’ve heard enough.”

She was beyond mortified at this revelation. So much so, that she skipped lunch in order to organize Ms. Sunny’s bookshelf by genre and author. When the children were gone and only Sunny was left grading papers, Hyoyeon declared the empty bulletin board at the back of the classroom an emergency state of affairs.

“How do children learn in such a colorless environment?!” she had insisted.

Anything was better than seeing any of the other teachers, especially Seohyun, on her way out of the building that afternoon.

By the time 7 o’ clock rolled around, Hyoyeon was still hard at work after having found a few more tasks to keep her busy. She was in the middle of wiping down the chalkboard when she was interrupted by the sound of a loud gasp and sigh.

“Sunny? Are you ok?”

Sunny sighed again and her forehead planted onto her desk.

“Hyoyeon, what am I gonna do?”

“I don’t know.”

Sunny looked up at her and pouted like a child. “I told Yuri I’d meet her for dinner tonight but I completely forgot about this small stack of quizzes I had to grade. I mean, there aren’t very many, but I’d never get home in time to get ready and meet her at 8:30…”

Hyoyeon usually despised little tricks like these, but she didn’t mind sticking around a little longer to ensure there was no one left in the building.

“Ah… I guess I can grade them for you…”

“Would you really?” Sunny beamed and ran over to bear hug her.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m the greatest.”

Sunny ran back over to her desk and returned with a giant stack.

“You really are the greatest!” Sunny smiled that eye crinkling smile that made her seem like the most innocent soul on the planet. She had just gotten played.

Hyoyeon graded for about an hour before her lids started getting droopy. Sunny hadn’t mentioned there was about a month’s worth of quizzes in the stack. She heard a knock on the door just before her drool hit the paper. Good timing.

“Miss?” a man in a blue uniform asked as he opened the door. “We’ll have to ask you to leave. We’re going to start waxing the floors.”

Hyoyeon walked down the front steps of Peace Elementary. It was dark out and her stomach started to growl. She supposed she could cook herself up something before she got back to grading.

She heard the door shut again from behind her and looked up to find none other than Ms. Seohyun, the person she had been avoiding the entire day. The Universe was having fun with her today.

“Oh! You’re still here, Ms. Hyoyeon.” Her smile revealed an eagerness to see her, something Hyoyeon was oblivious to at the time.

“Yeah, you know, just grading papers for Ms. Sunny.”

“Did you finish?”

“It’s safe to say the woman hasn’t graded anything for the past 5 years, if we’re judging by this stack.”

Seohyun giggled, and it was adorable. “If you want I can help you. And you know… get your pants back to their rightful owner.”

She groaned internally. The pants. The vomit. Embarrassment washed over her.

“You’re a teacher, you grade papers all day…”

“No really. I really wouldn’t mind.”

Was Seohyun inviting herself back over to her apartment? Well how could she say no to the free help, even if the reason she had gotten herself into this mess to begin with was to dodge this awkward meeting. She obliged.

Seohyun drove and the two of them were silent for most of the ride over and the walk to Hyoyeon’s second floor flat. When they entered, Hyoyeon the lights and immediately kicked off her black pumps.

“You’re not used to wearing heels, are you?”
“Heels will be the death of me.”

“But they give you height…” Seohyun stopped herself mid-sentence and stifled a laugh.

“What are you trying to say?”

“You should wear flats. Your height is cute.”

Hyoyeon blushed. She looked up and realized how much taller Seohyun really was. With that face and that body, she couldn’t imagine how she wasn’t on a runway, and why she had chosen the profession she had.

“Err, take a seat. Wherever there’s room.”

Seohyun carefully folded 2 of Hyoyeon’s shirts that were sprawled across the couch before sitting down. Beyond polite.

 “I want to apologize about last night…”

“There’s no need for apologies.”

“I know you’re a nice girl Seohyun, but I threw up all over your pants, at least let me buy you a new pair.”

“Bring that stack of papers over, let me get started so we finish sooner.”

A stubborn one.

“Keep my pants then. They look better on you. I thought I had to get them altered anyway, they drag on me.”

Seohyun looked up at her, surprised but pleased. “Yes, thank you.” She’d even surprised herself with how quickly she agreed, but the pants reminded her of the night before, therefore they were not only an article of clothing but held strong memories that she would savor.

She handed her the stack. “What do you want to eat? And don’t even THINK of stepping foot in the kitchen to help me. I want us both to enjoy this meal.”

She gasped. “Was my omelet not good enough for you?”

“I couldn’t feed it to the stray down the block if I wanted to.” She suddenly realized who she was talking to. She found it easier than most to get comfortable around people she had known for short periods of time, but even she thought she had overstepped some boundaries with that one.

“I’m… sorry… I was really thankful and…”

“Hyoyeon,” she laughed a wonderful warm laugh and brought her hand up to in order to hide her wide smile,” I know I can’t cook. People think I eat salads because I’m a health nut, but they’re really all I can manage.”

“Well then, prepare yourself for something that will wow your taste buds.”

It wasn’t like Hyoyeon meant for Seohyun to become a staple in her life. It just sort of happened that way. One day Seohyun wanted a cooking lesson. The next they’d run in to each other at the coffee shop after work. And the next Ms. Sunny had left her with papers to grade as usual, just so she could run off on another rendezvous with Ms. Yuri. The pretexts never mattered, and they always found a way into each other’s apartments. The friendship blossomed over the next few weeks. The strange thing was whenever Hyoyeon brought up boys, Seohyun would become quiet, which she learned was not like her at all, at least when the two of them were alone together. Hyoyeon told her about Jinki of course, and awkwardly asked for her advice, not knowing if the woman had ever been on a date with a man herself.

“Are you sure you like him?” she asked.

“Like?” Hyoyeon thought about it. “That’s a good question. I don’t know. I guess it doesn’t matter. I’ve just always found him attractive.”

Seohyun looked down at the plate of lasagna Hyoyeon had served her and dragged a piece of cheese around the plate. Hyoyeon would learn that this was her way of avoiding saying something she might regret.

Seohyun wasn’t like everyone perceived her. She was smart, beautiful and quiet, yes, these were qualities that were noticeable in the outset. But anti-social? Hyoyeon would never buy it. The girl who chattered excitedly about her favorite book, who drew her in to the point of asking to borrow it. Hyo would leave it lying on her night table untouched, since no words on a page could compare to the way Seohyun told it. And anytime she’d forget an ingredient to a recipe Hyoyeon taught her, she’d make an adorably frustrated expression when they figured out the recipe was bland, and then they’d finish it anyway, with Seohyun sprinkling salt and pouring hot sauce onto their dishes in an attempt to salvage them. Or the way she’d move her head along to the beat of the music Hyoyeon would play for her, pouting her lips and concentrating on it, wanting to love it as much as she did even when they both knew she wouldn’t. They wanted to be into each other’s passions, and that was something Hyoyeon had never experienced with anyone. Only she got to see this side, and while she wanted to convince the world that Seohyun was more special than they’d ever imagine, she was also glad to have this for herself.

Once on a Saturday evening, the pair went out to dinner to celebrate Hyoyeon’s fourth month at the school. It wasn’t a feat either of the girls truly cared for celebrating, but they wanted an excuse to go out and have a few drinks at a nice Brazilian bar that had just opened up nearby. In the past, Hyoyeon would have immediately ordered her favorite beer and drink a few more throughout dinner, but being with Seohyun made her want to explore different options. They both had caipirinhas, the signature Brazilian cocktail. As Seohyun carefully took her first sip and tasted the sweet mixture of cachaça and brown sugar on her tongue, she caught Hyoyeon staring at her.

“Can I help you?”

Hyoyeon giggled. “I just thought of something. So that night we first went out with everyone to Reggie’s… you know the night I got wasted…”

Seohyun took another sip of her caipirinha and looked down at the menu, waiting for Hyoyeon to finish asking whatever it was that she was asking about that fateful night.

“You never really gave me the details of the ridiculous things I said or did. And I’ve always been too embarrassed to ask. So…”

Seohyun looked up. There was a mischievous and expectant gleam in the blonde one’s eyes and Seohyun knew she couldn’t leave her hanging.

“Well you were just… acting like the average drunk. Dancing around, taking shots… throwing up all over my pants.”

“Yeah that… but did I say anything funny? Stupid? Come on, we know each other for four months already, I can handle this.”

“You said Sunny had a nice rack and you wanted to motorboat her.”

“I WHAT?!”

She had indeed made that comment about Ms. Sunny’s perky chest, about 2 drinks after they had finished dancing. This had given Seohyun the hope that she may have had a chance, not that she herself had a particularly exceptional pair, but she was a girl. Did Hyoyeon like girls?

It was more than off-the-wall comments that drew her to Hyoyeon that night. She conveniently left out significant chunks of the story, but Hyoyeon seemed satisfied with the funny parts. While the danshin had forgotten a majority of the night, these memories were etched into Seohyun’s mind.

The nightly excursion suggested by the P.E. teacher was something she’d usually reject instantly. No, she wouldn’t have even been there to reject it, since she preferred to her spend her lunches being productive, not gossiping with the rest of them in the teacher’s lounge.

It was just as she would have imagined it. A pub whose clientele mostly consisted of 40 year old men paying double for a can of beer they could have easily been drinking at home, but were happy to pay for if it meant a night away from their domestic lives. Alcohol was pointless to her. She equated it to an escape from reality, something she didn’t feel the need to indulge in.

She spent the first half of the night trying to get the new aide’s attention, but the girl was quick. She tried to walk over and start a conversation but someone like Sunny would demand it completely, and she’d walk away feeling dejected, ordering another cranberry juice, only cranberry, hold the vodka. She felt stupid. She didn’t really know anything about this girl, but she’d promised herself that if she ever felt this way about anyone ever again, she wouldn’t miss out on the chance like she did once back in her college days.

She finally got her opportunity when she spotted the blonde standing alone on the edge of the dance floor, staring at Jinki and Krystal, who were dancing quite inappropriately. It was the first time that night she’d seen a serious look on the girl’s face.

“Hyoyeon, are you feeling ok?”

The woman looked up at her and those eyes that had been sparkling since she’d first seen them were glazed over from the alcohol and she looked lost for a second.

“Do you know how to dance?”

She was reluctantly pulled over to the dance floor which made her instantly regret the decision to walk over to her until she saw how Hyoyeon moved. She tried to keep her eyes off of the smooth flash of tan skin showing when Hyoyeon’s shirt rode up ever so slightly and the way her hips seemed to ride the beat as if she was making love to the song. Terrible, dirty thoughts. Seohyun couldn’t help herself.

The shot glasses clanked onto the bar top as the balding bartender excitedly poured them grey goose. He hadn’t gotten this much business in months.

“Just take it in one go, don’t even think about it.”

This girl loved her alcohol. Seohyun swallowed the clear, bitter liquid that burned as it went down . The expression she made as she took in the aftertaste had Hyoyeon keeling over with laughter and that made it all worthwhile.

She took a couple more but was carefully downing ice water alongside it, so the effect wore off by the time they left the bar. She watched Hyoyeon order more drinks, drinks with exotic sounding names that the bartender would have to look up the recipes to on his smart phone.

She learned about Hyoyeon’s dreams and motivations. She was a college dropout who went against her mother’s wishes to pursue a career in dance. Someone who had idealized a world that turned out to be much harsher on a young dreamer than she’d ever imagined. The nights of hunger and disappointment were something she’d expected, but they never led to anything. The practical side in Seohyun wanted to tell her she had been too rash in abandoning her degree, but how did her life stand in comparison? She liked teaching, but she had also known this was a safe path. Hyoyeon was a girl who didn’t live safely, she lived passionately, something she envied.

And then all of a sudden, the girl was crying. Yes, crying into her shoulder, dampening her silk blouse.

“Seohyun, you’re the only one who hasn’t judged me.”

Hyoyeon’s little hands held on to her waist and Seohyun felt her heart almost give out. Drunk people were known to get emotional, weren’t they? At least that’s what she saw in the movies. Yet she knew there was truth behind her alcohol-induced sobs.

Then came the worst part of the night, which led to the best part of the night, so Seohyun couldn’t be too disappointed. Partly-digested food and stomach juices splattered onto Seohyun’s prized white short pants. Everyone stopped in their tracks and there were looks of horror as Hyoyeon would not stop and only continued to heave on Seohyun’s legs repeatedly.  Krystal’s face twisted into a look of disgust and she simply walked out of the bar. Everyone else looked at Seohyun, but no one really knew what to say or do. Seohyun wasn’t exactly pleased, but more worried about Hyoyeon, as she got to her feet simultaneously apologizing to the bartender while walking her over to the ladies’ room to try and clean up as much of the mess as possible.

Jinki offered to drive Hyoyeon home, and it looked as if he almost felt partly responsible for ruining the night, since this was a daughter of a family friend he had brought in to the school. Something about that half-humiliated expression of his rubbed Seohyun the wrong way, but what could she do? Luckily for her, Hyoyeon spoke up for herself and clung onto her like a toddler. She cried and refused to go home with anyone that wasn’t Seohyun. She feigned reluctance but assured them all that it’d be better for a woman to take Hyoyeon home, since she’d have to get her out of these disgusting clothes anyway. How easily she had white-lied her way into Hyoyeon’s apartment, and it wouldn’t be the last time.

___________________________________________________________________________

“Oh GOD WHY?!”

It had been another morning of Hyoyeon carelessly disregarding most of her alarms. Usually, she was quick enough to look well-put together in time for work, but today was not one of those days. She was the type that waited until practically everything in her wardrobe was used before doing laundry. Luckily, the white blouse she had worn the other day still looked clean, but she had no time to iron the pairs of wrinkled trousers accumulating at the foot of her bed. The only thing left to wear was her trusty black skirt… which had been shrunk in the wash, unbeknownst to her at the time.

She tried the skirt on and stood in front of her full-length mirror. It had been a bit loose on her waist before, and now she could barely get it buttoned. The length was now offensively short for the likes of an elementary school teacher and she wondered if she could possibly get away with it. She didn’t have any clean pairs of nylons that could have toned down the look. She considered calling in sick or coming in late but she remembered that Sunny was going to be out.

If anyone asks why I’m dressed like this, I’m going to play the dumb blonde card! Oh really? I didn’t even realize how short this was, I’m terribly sorry!

She managed to reach Sunny’s classroom without any trouble and began the day’s lessons. She caught a few of the fourth graders looking down where they shouldn’t have, but aside from that there was no issue. She tried to avoid the main office so none of the secretaries would rat her out to the principal, because they were the type.

About 20 minutes before the kids would be let out for lunch, the door opened and in walked Seohyun with some files in her hand. She walked in smiling but when she caught sight of Hyoyeon, her face went strangely serious.

“I came to see how you were holding up alone.”

Hyoyeon found her friend’s eyes wandering up and down her legs.

“Seohyun, don’t say anything. I seriously couldn’t find anything else to wear, I’ll have to tell you the story later.”

The brunette seemed to be in a stupor but shook herself out of it and looked back up at Hyoyeon’s eyes. She cleared .

“Yes… well… this is not very… professional.”

She immediately turned around and stormed out. Or it seemed as if she were angry to Hyoyeon. She was walking away fairly quickly.

Seohyun ran into the bathroom and was relieved to find it empty. She took a deep breath. She needed to calm her hormones before she got back to teach pre-teens. It’s not as if she’d never seen a girl in a mini-skirt before. Hell, she’d had to change Hyoyeon out of her clothes the day she took her home, but those were different circumstances. Seohyun had never seen a pair of gams so lovely in the entirety of her 24 years on Earth. Her legs were toned, tanned and her thighs were perfectly plump. It was at this moment that she realized how ually attracted she really was to that little shorty. This scared her.

She thought Hyoyeon would be taking lunch at her desk and brought a sweater to her classroom so she could tie it around her waist or at least put it over her lap when sitting down. But Sunny’s classroom was empty. Did she really eat her lunch with the other teachers? Seohyun checked the teacher’s lounge and there was no sign of Hyoyeon. She went out to the playground and she spotted her having her lunch at one of the benches, legs fully exposed, and accompanied by Mr. Lee Jinki.

“Seohyun!” Hyoyeon looked up at her with that bright smile and started patting the spot next to her on the bench. Jinki smiled a less enthusiastic smile. The first thing Seohyun noticed was that Hyoyeon’s skirt rode up even higher when she was sitting.

“Here, I brought you a sweater.”

“Oh, thanks!” Hyoyeon put the sweater on her lap.

“Hyoyeon it was nice talking to you, and Ms. Seohyun, nice seeing you outdoors for once. I have to go and grade some tests.” Jinki smiled at both of them and looked at Hyoyeon once more before turning to go. “I’ll give you a call later.”

Hyoyeon giggled. For the first time, Seohyun did not like that Hyoyeon giggled.

“Jinki finally asked me out!”

Seohyun did the best she could to keep a neutral expression. “That’s nice. So over four months later and after several teacher outings he chooses today to make his move…”

“Yeah I don’t know. But I’m excited to see what this could lead to. Don’t tell anyone, though! He told me to keep it on the down low since the teachers love to gossip. ”

She could be so dense sometimes.

“So you’re just trying to mess around or you think this could lead to something serious?”

“I don’t like to just mess around, Seohyun, you know that.”

Seohyun knew for a fact this would lead to nowhere farther than Jinki’s bedroom, but she wasn’t about to tell Hyoyeon that. No, she’d just sound jealous. Or maybe Hyoyeon wouldn’t believe her, and that would hurt. She had to go straight to the source to put a stop to it.

She made sure all the children were gone before she strolled over to Jinki’s classroom. He usually stayed after to grade papers and prepare lesson plans, as most of them did. He didn’t look up at her as he continued to mark papers.

“What brings you around here, Ms. Seohyun?” His disinterested tone made her want to wring his pretty little neck.

“Cut the bull.”

He smirked as she finally caught his attention and looked up at her with those fake puppy dog eyes. “Whatever do you mean, Seohyun?”

“I haven’t seen you take interest in Hyoyeon once since she’s been here, and all of a sudden you want to take her out. You know she likes you, right?”

“Well, Seohyun, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out a girl like Hyoyeon is into me. She wears her emotions on her sleeve. She was looking really y today, wouldn’t you agree?”

Seohyun scoffed. “Just because I don’t mingle with most of the teachers doesn’t mean I don’t know you’ve been dating Krystal since before Hyoyeon got here. I haven’t told her anything because I don’t want to see her feelings get hurt, but I thought you’d know better.”

Jinki stood up and was a head taller than Seohyun as he looked down at her. Was he trying to intimidate her? She wouldn’t back down.

“I’d love it if you told Hyoyeon that I was dating Krystal. Then I could tell her the nice little friend she’s been hanging around with almost daily wants to her brains out.”

Seohyun’s expression turned cold. He continued.

“You’re not the only one who knows secrets around here. Don’t think we don’t know about you. Seohyun, everyone knows you’re a closet case and you’ve just been trying to get into her pants since day 1. You’re no better than me. So stay out of what doesn’t concern you.”

“Don’t you ever DARE compare me to you again! I love her! I would never stoop that low!”

Seohyun had to walk away before the tears got the best of her. She could never let him see that. She couldn’t believe that of all people, he was the first to know that she loved Hyoyeon. What a ty confession.

As she walked out, she was startled to find Hyoyeon standing out in the hallway, looking through her phone. She felt her stomach drop down to her feet.

“Oh, hey! I was looking for you. I found this new recipe I wanted to try today. I thought … your place? Since you have the nice pans and all…”

She gave absolutely no hint of having overheard their conversation. Seohyun sighed with relief.

“Of course. Let’s get going.”

Hyoyeon didn’t mention anything about Seohyun’s watery eyes. It was Seohyun’s luck that Hyoyeon usually seemed oblivious to that kind of thing. She decided not to say anything about Jinki. The last thing she ever wanted was for Hyoyeon to doubt their friendship, and nothing scared her more than to lose what they had. If only she had spoken up sooner. She didn’t think Jinki would be this shameless. She felt like a coward. His blackmail had been effective.

They were on the bus and Seohyun was lost in her own thoughts, trying to figure out how she could orchestrate a plan to have Jinki or Krystal out their own relationship, so that Hyoyeon wouldn’t get played. All of a sudden she felt the blonde one’s head on her shoulder. She felt her warm little hand lace her fingers through hers. Did friends do that? She supposed they could. She held her hand tightly back. It felt nice. They didn’t let go until they reached their stop. As they were getting off the bus, that was when the realization hit her like a freight train to the chest. She had to tell her, no matter what the consequences were for her. Because that was real love. Hyoyeon’s feelings came first.

When they got to Seohyun’s place, Hyoyeon immediately began taking out all of the ingredients and utensils. She wanted to try making Japanese curry from scratch, ever since she found out it was one of Seohyun’s favorite dishes. Seohyun sat on a stool at her kitchen island and watched as Hyoyeon began cutting up the veggies and measuring out other ingredients.  She kept thinking of how she would say what she needed to say and when would be the right time. Should she confess before Jinki beat her to the punch?

“Hyoyeon…”

“Thanks for looking out for me.”

“What?”

Hyoyeon kept her back to Seohyun and continued chopping veggies as she continued.

“I didn’t know Jinki was dating Krystal. I feel kind of dumb.”

Seohyun felt the blood rushing to her face and it immediately became warm.

“How much did you hear?”

She remained facing the kitchen counter. “Everything.”

Her heart sank. This would either mark the end of their friendship, or the beginning of the end. Could anyone truly be comfortable in a friendship where one of the people was head over heels for the other?

“Hyoyeon, I…” her voice broke as she felt herself on the verge of tears for the second time that day. But she held herself together. “I stand by everything that was said.”

She heard the knife gently hit the counter as the blonde woman turned to face her. For once, she didn’t know how to read her expression. She let her mind go quiet and her body took over as she stood up to walk over to the shorter woman. She didn’t know what to do or say, she just went with it. She got close and Hyoyeon stood still, so she got even closer, close enough that she could feel her warm breath on her face. The girl she loved was not backing down, so it was now or never.

“I love you.”

“I know that.”

Her hand moved up to Hyoyeon’s face and her finger brushed her full lips before she went in for a kiss, soft and sweet. Neither of them moved after Seohyun pulled away, so she went in for another. She began to kiss her more deeply and she took Hyoyeon’s bottom lip between hers as her hands went down to Hyoyeon’s hips. She felt Hyo’s breaths get heavier and this spurred her on. She felt a superhuman strength as she lifted Hyoyeon onto the counter, sending chunks of carrots and potatoes crashing to the floor. Hyoyeon’s hands, that had been limp until that moment, began to caress Seohyun’s hair. Seohyun wanted this to be special. She’d always imagined a sweet, tender moment but her body betrayed her and she just couldn’t help feeling up every inch of Hyoyeon’s back and waist. She thirsted for more. Her hands moved down to those perfect thighs as she began kissing down her neck.  As reached her collar bone, Hyoyeon gently pushed her back.

“I never thought I’d see this side of you.” She caught her breath while laughing.

“I never thought I’d see this side of myself…”

“Have you ever… been with a girl?”

“Well, once. We didn’t go very far.”

Hyo jumped down from the counter. “Seohyun. Do you really want to give this a chance?”

“I’ve never wanted anything more.”

“Then… let’s see how far you’re willing to go with me…”

Seohyun bent down to kiss her once again as she turned off the flame to the pot of water that was just beginning to boil as a different kind of flame took over. Hyoyeon took her hand to lead her to the master bedroom. The loneliness that both had been convinced they were feeling in their hearts completely disappeared as they fully realized who it was they wanted to love and protect. It was Day 1 of their love story, with many happy days to come.