“Unniiieee, it’s lunchtime! Let’s go!”

“Wait, Seulgi, can’t you see I’m,” Joohyun tugs her arm away from Seulgi’s hold to fix the disorganized clump of papers on the teacher’s desk, “I’m fixing some stuff. You can continue bothering me when I’m done. Or when you’re done with… um, have you finished collecting the reply slips?”

As the president of the student-council, Joohyun’s job was to do the following: deliver fundraisers throughout the whole school, advocate values throughout the student body, and generally ensure that the school’s academic and moral wellbeing be kept safe. Meanwhile, besides collecting statistics from the whole school, Seulgi’s job was mainly to be present for Joohyun’s aid; she wasn’t called vice-president for nothing. Whenever Joohyun needed something done, Seulgi would be scrambling on her toes to offer any kind of assistance Joohyun needed, and Joohyun would always be so glad to be helped.

 “Yep, I have!” Seulgi chirps.

The dynamic they shared with each other also remained constant inside and outside school, and it would always incorporate itself in anything Seulgi and Joohyun went through together. In short, Seulgi in Joohyun made a pretty good pair.

And true to what Joohyun had granted her permission with, Seulgi sits down at the desk nearest the teacher’s table, waiting for Joohyun to finish her task so she can resume bothering the older girl. (Joohyun says it’s annoying, but Seulgi honestly thinks she's being affectionate. You’re supposed to showcase to loved ones that you love them, right?)

Seulgi idly plays with the pads of her thumbs while waiting— and it's then that she realizes: she really does love Joohyun. Seulgi doesn’t think it can be anything but love, whatever it is that makes her and Joohyun naturally fit together.

She's never noticed before, but the love she’s held for Joohyun has grown tremendously big.

For example, Joohyun’s playful nature was one that a few found strange (Joohyun was aware of this though, thanks to Sooyoung’s groans whenever she spoke about her fascination with Seungwan’s buttocks, or whenever she would swipe her hands up the student council members’ underarms). But Seulgi’s attitude towards Joohyun remained tolerating and kind.

(During the student council’s trip to the beach earlier this year, Joohyun also kept lunging beachballs in Seulgi’s direction in attempts to push Seulgi off of any flat surface rested on. If it were Sooyoung, she would have had punched Joohyun in the face already despite the cautious age-gap between them, but Seulgi— naïve and tender-hearted Seulgi— had only responded with a smile, and a nearly undecipherable, Heeey!)

Seulgi also still loved Joohyun even if her own efforts for the betterment of the school were (inevitably) set aside due to Joohyun’s own popularity. This resulted into the birth of the student body’s unjust perception of Seulgi as well. Seulgi couldn’t do anything about it, and she was almost forced to believe them at one point— that she was nothing but “the President’s Helper”, or “the President’s Stool”. Seulgi got over the pain of being called as such, but still she thinks the way she feels is irrelevant because it was true to an extent, that the only thing Joohyun needed from her was her assistance. But going back to what was really important: Joohyun deserved the recognition.

Seulgi still loved Joohyun even throughout Joohyun’s slumps of self-inadequacy and self-mediocrity. In capture of the general student body's eyes, Seulgi would have pointed a laughing finger at Joohyun’s tears of insecurity, (although she thinks she may have actually done so a few years ago. Seulgi unsurprisingly doesn’t remember quite well); however, behind closed doors, she'd spend the night at Joohyun’s place, with her hand the small of Joohyun’s back from dawn to dusk, whispering infinite terms of endearment and comfort into the older girl’s ears. Perhaps it was the familiarity that made Seulgi so empathetic and understanding, because Seulgi’s been there, been through similar circumstances. But the respect she has for Joohyun only inflates when she realizes how much Joohyun has to tolerate what she has to— but only on a much more vicious, larger, scale.

Presently though, portions of the sunlight’s rays were penetrating the small openings of the curtain by the window, painting unequal lines of light on Joohyun’s face. But Joohyun pays no attention to it, focus still unwavering on the task at hand. (In fact, Joohyun seemed to pay no attention to things that directly involved her only).

It almost hurt Seulgi to admit, but she doubted Joohyun’s awareness of her own beauty— did Joohyun know of the poise she naturally emitted? (Even though the way Joohyun walked resembled a penguin in motion at times), the way she looked so effortlessly pretty, especially now that her blouse was nearly dangling off her left shoulder, and oh— Joohyun’s shoulders— and the tiny mole at the tip of the blade— and her sharp clavicles— and the crook of her neck (which made everyone look beautiful actually, but Seulgi thinks it made Joohyun look ethereal). Joohyun was beautiful.

Seulgi probably memorized the older girl’s bodily geography more than Joohyun herself did. It was nothing ual at all; the fondness Seulgi felt left her wanting to know more and more about Joohyun. Joohyun’s safety was also one of her top priorities, and seeing Joohyun hurt would probably cause her the same pain.

And although she never spoke about her unique relationship with Joohyun, everyone seemed to know. But of course, it was definitely only Seulgi and Joohyun who knew every depth of their relationship the most.

It always left Seulgi blushing with endearment. Even the mere remembrance of it would leave the same effect on her, and oh God, Seulgi thinks her cheeks have probably turned red by now.

“Seulgi, I’m done,” Joohyun says with a quirk on her lips, tone final when she slips the pile of papers on the desk. “Lunch?”

“Unnie, we only have ten minutes of lunch break left!”

“Well,” Joohyun bites her lips and pokes Seulgi in the rib, whispering, “We can just eat during class. Let’s just make sure no one finds out.”

“You’re the worst student council president ever,” Seulgi huffs.

“You love me.”

I do.

+

Later, Seulgi would think about the reasons behind her love for Joohyun, and she concludes that there were no explanations.

Love didn’t need words.