Gaeul had gushed endlessly over Yujin not sending Wonyoung to hell and back.
"What did you have against Haewon?" she teased, legs kicking in the air as she lay on her back. A plush Volteon cushioned her head.
"The fact she tried to take what I was reading first."
"Hm," Gaeul hummed, getting up. "What was different about Wonyoung, then?"
"She asked."
Gaeul raised an eyebrow.
"Politely," Yujin added, back facing her roommate.
"C'mon," Gaeul said, peering over the side of Yujin's desk in an attempt to peek at her work. Yujin had her hair tied back, loose strands escaping from behind her ears.
"You look like you like her."
"Don't be stupid," Yujin scoffed, shooing her away with her other hand. Gaeul stepped just out of swatting distance.
She sighed, then leaned back and set a thin paintbrush back into a mason jar. "What do you think?"
"WOW," Gaeul yelled, gazing at the sheet of paper, "this is amazing, Yujin!"
As she admired the vibrant colours and ink, Yujin spun around in her chair, pushing herself in circles with her feet.
"I don't like her," Yujin said finally. "And thank you. This was three days of work."
"You could really be famous someday, you know - no - you will be famous. And when that happens, you'll go get Wonyoung- and-"
Yujin stood up. "I don' like Wonyoung," she said softly. "Besides, it's only been two days."
"Lesbians tend to do that, darlin'," Gaeul teased.
"Go sleep, Gaeul."
"I should be saying that to you," Gaeul tutted. "It's 2am. How could I sleep before my darling hardworking baby sister," she whined, hovering around Yujin all the way to their kitchen.
Yujin took a snack from their pantry and ripped the packet open with her teeth, her other paint-stained hand held under the tap.
With a mouthful of cheese puffs, she walked back into their room and sat back at her desk.
"No, Yujin, no more work. It's too late for this," Gaeul said seriously, trying to get her friend to sleep so she wouldn't doze off in class the next day.
"I'm not feeling so good," Yujin said, removing her finished work and framing it before placing a new sheet of paper down. "I'll just work till three, and then I'll sleep."
"Hey, since Wonyoung moved in you've been really wishy-washy. You're even brighter at school and I know you always work late, but you've never started a piece directly after finishing one."
"Yes I have," Yujin grumbled, mixing new paint with a brush.
"You get what I mean," Gaeul said, rolling into her bunk. "Promise me you'll sleep at three."
"Promise," Yujin said mindlessly.
Gaeul huffed.
.
Despite not sleeping at all the night before, Yujin was brighter and cheerier than ever.
It had to be Wonyoung, Gaeul concluded.
Yujin made it to her soccer practices and ate heartily during lunch. Gaeul sat next to her on the opposite bench, puzzled. The sky was the colour of a ripe blackberry, with tiny stars dotting the darkness. The light from the school lamps cast shadows over them, dappling Gaeul's face with splotches of yellow light from where it shone between the trees.
"Yujin," she yawned, slightly purple circles prominent under her eyes, "you didn't sleep last night. You promised, you little brat."
"Sorry, Gaeul, I was inspired."
"By?"
"The beauty of the world," Yujin said sarcastically, hunching over and resting her head on the table. She felt odd, a strange stuffiness somewhere in her body. Maybe she'd pick up some painkillers on the way home later.
"Hi, guys!"
They turned around to see Wonyoung, still in the school uniform. A bookbag hung around her shoulder.
Yujin thought she looked exceptionally pretty in the plain button up and vest.
And just like that, Gaeul watched Yujin spring to life.
"Sorry! The bus had to make extra stops today. I hope I didn't make you guys wait too long."
"Not at all," Gaeul reassured.
"Thanks. Shall we go?" Wonyoung asked, turning to Yujin. "I brought the book from yesterday."
"So that's why you got home late! You were meeting with-"
Yujin cut Gaeul off with a pleading gaze and a cringe.
"Oh, fine. But for the love of god, get back before 11. I worry you're dead every time you miss your curfew."
"I'll bring her back, promise!" Wonyoung beamed.
"Sure, mom," Yujin said before sticking her tongue out at Gaeul, already leaving with Wonyoung.
.
"If I had a dollar for every time I've heard someone refer to you as a punk, I'd have two dollars, which isn't a lot, but it's weird considering it happened twice and I've known you only for three days."
"That's me," Yujin agreed.
"Are you and Gaeul really close?" Wonyoung piqued.
"Yeah! She's my best friend. I've known her since middle school, and we're roommates."
Wonyoung flipped a page.
"You said we'd read together. Why are you drawing?"
"Well..." Yujin trailed off, still crosshatching on the paper. "I've read at least 97% of all the good books here."
Wonyoung side-eyed her. "Really?"
"Really. Go check the library log on the back of the books you borrowed if you don't believe me."
Wonyoung stuck her thumb in between the pages to bookmark where she'd stopped before flipping to the very back. There, about nine times on the library log, was Ahn Yujin, Ahn Yujin, Ahn Yujin, with very close dates in between every borrow.
In disbelief, Wonyoung checked all the other books as Yujin kept drawing. All of them, without fail, were marked by Yujin's name again and again.
"You'd be amazing in my literature class," Wonyoung said. "Why not go with me?"
"I'll have to pass on that one, Wonnie. I like drawing more than anything."
"But surely you can't draw all day, right?"
"Nope. I definitely can," Yujin said confidently. "I do it every day."
"You're so cool," Wonyoung said.
Yujin just smiled, a little teeth showing.
"Can I hold your hand?"
"Huh?"
Wonyoung looked at Yujin, mouth open, realising what she'd said. With a nervous laugh, she tried to brush it off.
"Just kidding," Wonyoung said, opening her book again. She was bright red in her mind, but hopefully not in front of Yujin.
"It's okay," Yujin laughed, grabbing it.
