Shinae was really good with hair styling – that was what Hyunjung had established many times before. Today was the weekend; Shinae had invited Hyunjung over, and it was eleven in the morning. Hyunjung was sat on Shinae’s vanity chair, with Shinae stood behind her and her hair accessories laid out ready.

“You have nice hair,” Shinae noted, looking at Hyunjung in the mirror while she combed her fingers through Hyunjung’s strands.

She smiled, keeping still as Shinae used some bobby pins to put her hair into place. “I’ve wanted to cut it short before – kind of like yours but maybe not as short.” She indicated by levelling her hand just above her shoulders.

“Really?” Shinae paused to look again at her in the mirror, but then continued. “When I was in elementary my hair was like a mop. My mom could barely brush through it, and she tamed it with a bunch of hair products. But by middle school I had enough of it and cut my hair off myself.”

Hyunjung raised her brows. “By yourself?”

“Yup,” Shinae said with a laugh. “But it didn’t turn out that bad because I was so cautious back then, but my mom took me to the barbers to make it straight. She scolded me a lot though.”

Hyunjung observed Shinae’s hair length and how well it framed her face. If Shinae did have long hair, she’d be the regular pretty girl like many others. But her short hair made her jaw and facial features stand out, and her expression more vivid and animate. “I think short hair suits you.”

“Funny, because I’ve actually been considering to grow it long again. But I don’t know, even Jimin has told me that I should just keep it short. What do you think?”

“Whatever makes you happy,” Hyunjung said finally, which earned another smile from Shinae.

“Alright then.” Shinae put one more pin into her hair. “Done.”

Hyunjung grinned, turning her head while viewing her reflection. “Thanks, Shinae. It looks amazing.”

“Ha, thanks.” She stretched and grabbed her phone from the table. “Hey, do you wanna go downstairs? It’s pretty boring up here.”

“Okay.” Hyunjung stood and tucked the chair behind the vanity table, and then followed Shinae downstairs to the living-room. Shinae’s parents were out in the garden, so the household was quiet.

Hyunjung sat down at the couch opposite Shinae, who had gotten the TV remote and turned it on to a random channel. The noise and voices from the television made the atmosphere less lonely, and Hyunjung sat and was transfixed on the actors on the screen while Shinae scrolled through her phone.

The show onscreen was a comedy sitcom; one that Hyunjung knew well due to her uncle being a regular viewer. If Taehyung had been here, Hyunjung thought, he’d probably think the jokes were corny and that everything about the show was a joke. And if he were here, Hyunjung would have replied that that was the point – the whole show was supposed to be a joke. That was why it was so funny. Or maybe it was just because the humour was very similar to what Hyunjung would have said (it was nice to laugh at someone else’s jokes other than your own sometimes).

They spent until one in the afternoon in the living-room, and neither was intending to change that anytime soon. The sitcom had ended by then, and Hyunjung changed the channel. But she was no longer focused on what was going on; she couldn’t follow the dialogue or the storyline – she was not on earth. But there’s a trigger to everything, and all Shinae had to do to bring Hyunjung’s head out of the clouds was the mention of one name.

She looked up from her phone. “Jungkook’s back now, isn’t he?”

“He came back yesterday.”

Shinae nodded and put her phone down on her lap. “You two are still together, right?” she asked while twiddling her fingers and Hyunjung nodded. Shinae exhaled and leaned her head back against the couch. “Sorry. Totally just ruined the mood now.”

“Shinae.”

She lifted her head up. “Yeah?”

Hyunjung was hesitant and fiddled around with the hem of her shirt. “Can you tell me about Jungkook’s previous relationships?”

Shinae’s eyes widened and she had to stop herself from an outburst, but she slowly straightened and faced Hyunjung properly, drawing her legs up to her chest and then crossing them. She flippantly put her phone aside and rubbed her hands together. “Okay, so what exactly is it do you want to know?”

“Not really anything specific…”

“Just curious?”

Hyunjung pursed her lips and nodded.

“Where do I begin? Well, first off, you’re aware of how friendly Jungkook generally is – makes him a very likeable guy, so don’t be surprised when I talk about the relationships he’s been in. But I’m guessing you wouldn’t be surprised.” Hyunjung nodded and Shinae continued. “From the start of first year high school to now, he has to have had about six, including you. But his previous relationships were very casual. Jungkook gets along with everyone, and when a girl likes him and asks him out, as long as he’s good friends with you, he’ll say yes even if he doesn’t like them.”

Hyunjung leaned forward. “Really? But why would he do that?”

“Not too sure, but I’ve known Jungkook for a long time, so I’m guessing it’s probably to do with the fact that if he had said no, he’d be hurting that person’s feelings. He’s a pretty simple guy, to be honest.” She paused and inspected the cuticle on her left index finger. “Let’s just say, Jungkook is a go-with-the-flow type. He tends to put himself into situations without thinking of what will happen, which I suppose is good, but at the same time, it’s not. For very obvious reasons.” She sighed again when she accidentally scratched her painted fingernail. “So when these girls confess, he has this mind-set of ‘oh, I don’t like them yet, but I should just go for it and see what happens’.”

Shinae looked up, and Hyunjung’s brows had creased, as if realising something for the first time.

“Sorry, did I drift off from what you wanted to know? I should be talking about the girls he’s dated,” Shinae apologised.

“Oh no, it’s fine…” Hyunjung said. She had been in the same homeroom class since her first year, so it wasn’t like she wasn’t aware of Jungkook and his past relationships.

“To be honest, it’s not that interesting. All his relationships have pretty much been and ended the same.” She halted and then got up from her position on the couch to sit beside Hyunjung instead. She stayed quiet for a while, mulling over her words while Hyunjung also remained silent. “Something’s up between you and Jungkook, I’ve been suspecting it for a while now. You can tell me anything, Hyunjung. I won’t tell another soul.”

Hyunjung drew her legs up to her chest and rested her chin on top of her knees. “There’s nothing wrong,” she said firmly, but she didn’t even know. Was everything fine or was it not?

Shinae raised a brow. “You know what your problem is? You’re not selfish enough. Do you know how unusual it is for a someone to tell their boyfriend to spend time with another girl and then not get jealous?”

“But I don’t want to be selfish,” Hyunjung asserted with a frown. “I don’t want to tell Jungkook what to do and what not to do, I don’t want to seem like I have to see him frequently because I don’t. And also, Eunsook is a great person and she’s the reason why Jungkook hasn’t been failing school.”

Shinae rolled her eyes. “Come on, we all have to be a little selfish and jealous sometimes.”

“But selfishness is what breaks a relationship apart. I don’t want to be selfish, nor jealous.”

“You have no say or control over what happens naturally. You can’t choose what you feel, Hyunjung.” Shinae lost count of how many times she had sighed today. She reclined her back against the couch. “Damn that scholarship,” Shinae muttered. “I bet that’s the reason for all this. That guy is just too competitive.”

Hyunjung knew this was true. But it was in Jungkook’s nature, and why would she complain about it anyway? Jungkook’s determination was the reason why he was so successful in what he loved. He had a truckload of passion, which was one of reasons why Hyunjung admired him.

“My only advice I can give you, is to let time happen. We can’t possibly know what will happen, but if you are determined to stay with Jungkook, then so be it. If Jungkook can go after the same scholarship for this long, who’s to say that you can’t?” She gave Hyunjung a small smile. “Stop overthinking. Things will sort themselves out.”

Hyunjung shared her smile. “I just miss him, that’s all.”

“Silly, of course you miss him.” Shinae chuckled and nudged her. “Hang on,” she said, standing up. “I’ll just get something for us to eat.” She walked past the couch and past the window. She was about to open the door to the kitchen, when she halted in her tracks and treaded back to the window, opening the curtain with caution to peer outside. She let out a short chuckle. “Well, speak of the devil and in he walks. It’s Jungkook. What a funny thing coincidence is.”

“Huh?”

“He’s walking to the gate and is about to open it.” She closed the curtain and turned back to Hyunjung. “Should we pretend we’re not here?”

He’s probably already seen us anyway. “Don’t do that,” Hyunjung whispered, resisting the urge to also look outside.

Shinae grinned cheekily, and moved the curtain slightly to peek through again. “He hasn’t rang the doorbell yet. We can still run to the garden so we can’t hear him.”

The doorbell rang before she could reply, and Shinae shrugged with a sympathetic smile. “You can wait here if you want.”

Hyunjung nodded and tucked the stray hairs behind her ear when Shinae exited the living-room, leaving the door open. She shifted and straightened her back with her arms rigidly straight and her palms flat on her thighs. She pattered her fingers on her knee as she waited for the sharp click of the front door.

Shinae’s voice was distinct, even from the living-room. “Hey, Jungkook.”

“Uh, hey. How are you?”

“Good, thanks. How was your trip?”

“It was fine. Sorry to disturb you or anything, but Jimin told me that Hyunjung came here?”

Hyunjung shifted again in her seat.

“Ah, did he now?” There was a pause, and Hyunjung kept still so she wouldn’t miss anything.

“I wanted to see her, if that’s okay.”

“… She’s in the living-room.”

The soft padding of footsteps began and gradually got louder until they stopped, and Hyunjung, with her fists balled, looked over at the doorway. Jungkook stood lingering there until Shinae pushed him further into the room and closer to Hyunjung. “Say something,” Shinae whispered to him, and he cleared his throat.

“I like your hair,” he said sincerely with a tilt of his head, and Shinae wanted to face palm.

“Thanks, Shinae did it.”

“She’s good, isn’t she?”

Shinae pretended not hear.

“She is.”

Finally, Hyunjung stood, and Jungkook outstretched his arms to encase her into a tight hug. She forgot what his natural scent was, and she was a little disappointed of the new, unfamiliar cologne in its place. But she was happy to hold him again, and that was all that mattered.

Shinae began to sneak away toward the door to the garden. “I’m gonna go help my parents out at the back, if you don’t mind,” she said in a quiet voice, not wanting to break the fragility of the moment. She said in an even quieter voice, “You two should catch up or something.”

And that was what they did. Hyunjung asked about his time on his trip, and he would answer. Whenever Jungkook would talk about things like this; in things he was passionate in, he would talk breathlessly with colours spitting and a light flaring. It was moments like this when Hyunjung witnessed one of Jungkook’s happiest states. Was she spiteful of this? No. But she wished she would be able to make him that happy someday.

“Well done, Jungkook. You’ve worked really hard,” Hyunjung said with a small smile when he finished, the colours and sparks still spluttering.

“Thank you, Hyunjung. Thank you.” He grinned at her and then rested his elbows on his legs, bowing his head down. “But I still need to work a bit more. I don’t have much time left, but I’m almost there.”

Hyunjung drew in a breath, and neither said anything; Jungkook’s head still bowed and Hyunjung sat rigidly. “I know you’ll get there,” she said. “You will.”

Jungkook kept his elbows on his knees, but lifted his head at her, looking at her for a long time. “I’m sorry for doing this to you.”

“I’ve said already. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

“It feels like I have.”

“You haven’t.”

Jungkook kept his head bowed, staring at the knot of his intertwined hands. His voice was low and firm. “Just to confirm, there’s nothing going on between me and Eunsook. She’s been tutoring me and giving me her notes for my classes, that’s all.”

“I know.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he gulped and he ran his tongue slowly over his front teeth. He let out a deep breath. “Is there something between you and Taehyung?”

Her eyes widened. “What?” was her immediate response. Her and Taehyung? Taehyung was a really good friend, and she knew that Jungkook knew that. What was he thinking?

He shook his head before she could speak. “Never mind. Ignore that.”

“Jungkook…”

Jungkook straightened. Now Hyunjung wasn’t the only one who was rigid. “What happens if you leave me?” he asked.

Hyunjung was taken aback by his question, but her mind was blank; she herself didn’t know. “What happens if you leave me first?” she said quietly.

Deep down, he didn’t know either. Hyunjung slumped against the couch and closed her eyes. Jungkook looked at her, and soon joined her; his body close with one arm draped loosely over her waist, their shoulders touching and their breaths matching. He turned his head slightly; his hair tickling her cheek and his lips grazing the shell of her ear, and in a voice which was just barely a breath, he whispered, “Even if it’s not true, just tell me that you won’t leave me. Please.”

She was still, and he waited, his grip around her waist tightening to draw her closer to him. There was a desperateness in his voice which she had never heard before, and hearing it for the first time made an ache emanate across her chest.

“Okay, I won’t.”

Jungkook loosened his hold and she could feel his body relax against hers. He closed his eyes and reached out for her hand, engulfing it in his own, and all the while, Hyunjung didn’t move. Everything seemed so delicate that she was scared that the slightest of movement would make it all end in splinters.

She began to blink and released a yawn. Jungkook followed shortly after. Their hands still together, she finally reclined her head back against the couch and closed her eyes. Jungkook took this chance to lean in closer, and she gulped when hot breath spreads on her skin; her head swimming at the tender brush of lips over the curve. She was pushed further into the waters of the moment, the focal point of her attention on the touch of Jungkook’s lips, and the quickening of her heart and breath.

Shinae had gotten caught up with helping her parents in the garden, and so came back into the living-room about an hour later. It surprised her to find the two sleeping soundly; their legs a tangle and their arms around each other. Light snores came from Hyunjung while Jungkook’s lips were parted, his chest rising and falling steadily.

“You're kidding me, it’s only the afternoon,” she muttered, but unfolded a blanket and draped it over their bodies.

What a sweet thing this is, she thought with a sad smile.