There are exactly three things Seulgi knows about Bae Joohyun:

1. She’s two grades above her.

2. She’s pretty—very pretty.

3. She takes the same train as Seulgi in the mornings.

They’ve never actually spoken despite getting off at the same stop every day, and Seulgi’s never come up with a good enough excuse to strike up a conversation with her either (asking her what kind of perfume she uses to smell so good or the kind of conditioner she uses to make her hair so shiny don’t count), so Seulgi’s just accepted her fate of casually admiring from afar.

Joohyun’s already on the train when Seulgi gets on Monday morning. (She gets on at the stop right before Seulgi’s, something Seulgi only knows because she once forgot to get off and not because she’s a stalker. Honestly.) She looks more tired than usual, but Seulgi doesn’t pay her any mind. Monday mornings are the worst for most people, and Seulgi knows that she, herself, is always a little more dead on Mondays as well.

Seulgi dozes off for much of the way, head falling forward and snapping up at least ten times before she finally shakes herself into full consciousness. She misses the next destination announcement and there’s a brief moment of panic where Seulgi has no idea where she is or where she’s going or if she’s already missed her stop, but then she sees Joohyun get up, weaving through the people standing to get to the exit and Seulgi realizes that this is her stop. Hastily, Seulgi gets up, sending silent thanks to Joohyun for taking the same train as her and for having her life together enough to know when to get off.

Except, Joohyun is wrong and this isn’t their stop and where are they exactly and oh no, there goes the train.

Seulgi sees the flash of realization cross Joohyun’s face at the exact same time the train departs behind them. Joohyun whirls around, eyes wide and mouth open as she watches it go, and Seulgi would think it was adorable if she weren’t currently in the same predicament.

Joohyun meets Seulgi’s eyes—the first real sign of acknowledgement she’s ever given Seulgi in all these months of shared commuting—and, in spite of herself, Seulgi smiles at Joohyun’s look of distress.

“So,” she starts, nodding towards the exit stairs, “I guess we’re walking?”

Joohyun slumps forward tiredly and when she speaks it’s on the edge of a sigh.

Seulgi beams at finally hearing the sound of her voice.

“I guess so.”

--

The walk to school from this stop isn’t that much farther, but they’ll presumably still be late with the heavy morning rush of traffic and the hoard of people walking along the sidewalk that’s keeping them from going any faster than turtle speed.

“We’re going to be late,” Joohyun tells her when they’re stopped at a traffic light, one of the few and only things she’s said this entire time.

Seulgi shifts her backpack higher, swaying on the balls of her feet. She’s feeling anxious from being so close to the girl she’s not so secretly been watching the last few months and trying to keep her cool and not trip while walking is starting to make her sweat.

“We still have some time,” Seulgi tries, but Joohyun shakes her head.

“There’s too much traffic.”

Seulgi’s homeroom teacher is kinder than most so she’ll probably get off with only a day of cleaning duty, but Joohyun is older and teachers for the higher grades tend to be harsher. Joohyun will most likely get detention and/or a few laps around the school. Either way, the future doesn’t bode well for her.

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” Joohyun mumbles to herself, but Seulgi hears it anyway.

She bumps her shoulder lightly. “Hey, it’s okay. I made the same mistake.”

Joohyun raises a brow. “Because you were following me.”

Seulgi flushes, coughing in the opposite direction. She didn’t think she was being so obvious about it, but Joohyun must have seen her falling asleep on the train. Maybe Joohyun’s noticed her all this time after all. The thought makes her cheeks even warmer, heat spreading to the tips of her ears.

“I, well, at least we’re together?”

Joohyun ducks her head as the light to cross flashes, striding forward so quickly Seulgi has to jog to catch up. She thinks that she saw Joohyun blushing, but she can’t be sure.

Her words have Seulgi looking anywhere but at her, smile stretched wide across her face.

“Yeah, at least we are.”

--

Seulgi doesn’t realize Joohyun’s grabbing her hand until suddenly Joohyun’s grabbing her hand.

They’re walking through a more crowded street, people surrounding them from all sides. Seulgi’s never been fond of large crowds to begin with, but Joohyun seems to hate them even more, gravitating closer towards Seulgi unconsciously. Joohyun presses into her side eventually as a larger man walking the opposite direction brushes past her roughly.

“Sorry,” She murmurs and Seulgi shrugs it off with an easy smile.

The crowd thickens and Seulgi doesn’t know when, but Joohyun’s arm ends up looped through hers. She stiffens momentarily before forcing herself to relax. She’s not used to being this close to another person (she’s only just started letting Seungwan hold her hand and she’s known Seungwan for years), but Seulgi reminds herself that it’s just because of the crowd and nothing else.

Another person bumps into Seulgi as they walk and Seulgi feels a pressure in her hand she’s confused about for all of two seconds before she realizes that oh, Joohyun’s holding her hand. She has another five minutes of internally panicking before the crowd opens up into a wider road with more space, but Joohyun doesn’t drop her hand for another five minutes after that, cheeks burning a brick red as she steps away quickly.

“Sorry,” she says again, when there’s a good foot of distance between them. “I don’t really like crowds.”

Seulgi nods, eyes straight ahead and not on the blushing girl next to her. “It’s okay. I don’t either.”

They walk in silence then, and Seulgi can’t help but miss the warmth of Joohyun’s hand in hers.

--

When the school comes into view, Seulgi admits to being slightly disappointed.

There’s still a few minutes left before the warning bell, so they linger outside the gates for just a while more.

“We made it,” she announces and Joohyun smiles, grip tight around the straps of her backpack.

“Barely.”

Seulgi nods, toes at the ground, and tries not to sound too disheartened as she says, “Well, I guess I’ll see you around or something.”

Or something, Seulgi thinks bitterly as she begins to walk away, but a hand on her elbow stops her.

Seulgi turns around to soft eyes and a tender smile.

“We take the same train back, right?” Joohyun asks and Seulgi nods shyly. “I’ll see you later then?”

Seulgi grins.

“See you later then.”

--

A poke on her side wakes her.

“Seulgi, get up. It’s our stop.”

Seulgi lifts her head from Joohyun’s shoulder, blindly allowing herself to be led out of the train as she blinks away the sleep from her eyes.

“This isn’t our stop,” Seulgi observes, looking around at the nearly empty train station.

The edges of Joohyun’s mouth quirk into a crooked smile.

“I know,” she says, taking Seulgi’s hand and guiding her out. “I wanted to walk today.”

Seulgi doesn’t complain as they walk further than normal that morning, nor does she complain when they end up being late and Seulgi gets put on cleaning duty. How can she when Joohyun holds her hand the whole way and apologizes later with a hug and a kiss to Seulgi’s flushed cheek.

No, she doesn’t complain at all.

They miss their stop every day.