"No mom, I'm not going to wear my basketball uniform." Zoa says over the video call, settling her phone down on her nightstand as she opens her big, shared closet with Soojin to find a convenient outfit.
Today is the day. It's the day of the evaluations. Zoa hasn't been informed on whether it would only be the first phase today or the second as well but she assumes it will only be the first since making pairs for the second phase would take a while. She can't say she's too nervous. But there's the normal amount of nervousness rushing through her veins and making her feel a little too shaky and stiff.
She's not sure of what to think about the evaluations today. She's gone to most of the clubs existing out there with Jiwoo, to check out what they were about and if she was interested in them and she can say that she hasn't found any club that could really fit her. Most of them were lame too, some of them were filled with way too many students or not cooperative students and some others were very disorganized or with no equipment at all even though there was obviously some needed so Zoa has crossed out all clubs in the list, coming down with the few safe choices left in her which are the dance club and the basketball club. Obviously she's more into basketball so that's her first choice as after all she has no clue of the dancing techniques out there so she's pretty sure she will suck at it. She's only going to join if she fails to join the basketball club and only because Jiwoo, Monday and Soeun are there. The more friends she has in a club, the better.
Her parents have video called her just now because they wanted to wish her the best of all luck as well as see overall how their daughter has been doing. Sure, Zoa could hear out their advice just now and wear her basketball uniform she has from Mr. Choi's training teen team but she's not one to brag about something ⏤whatever that is⏤ so she refuses to accept the advice. Soojin has been sitting on her own bed, already dressed, waiting for her friend to get ready as the rest of their friends are already waiting by the gym. Of course she wouldn't leave Zoa alone so she told the girls to wait for them by the gym.
"I just want you to get some confidence, that's why I suggested it!" Zoa's mother says.
"Honey, you know our daughter. She doesn't like bragging about things. She will fight for her place in that team without having to brag about her coach. Am I right, Hyewonie?" Zoa's father says and she hums in response before she takes a pair of long loose red sports pants, her black nike shoes and a loose white t-shirt.
"I guess these will do for now." She simply says and shows her outfit to Soojin and then her parents. Her father does a thumbs up while her mother sighs sadly.
"I wish you the best of luck. And don't get hurt. If they don't accept you in their team it's their loss just so you know. Never beat up yourself about it because you deserve way better than a random college basketball team, you hear me young lady?" Zoa chuckles and nods her head.
"Yes, mom." She says softly as she takes the phone in her hands and sits down on her bed, just looking at her parents for a few seconds, trying to capture their happy smiles. Unfortunately for her, she's not calling them as often as her mother would like but she's not doing it on purpose. She truly is too busy catching up at her new classes and once she's done she either has to visit new clubs to figure out what she likes or hang out with her friends. Then she needs to practice before she ends up returning to her room with Soojin, doing her night routine and sleeping it off. She misses them though, that's for sure. She doesn't have the time to really think too much of them or get too homesick but she surely does miss having them around and sometimes it feels a little too hard or still too foreign waking up to Soojin unnie instead of her parents.
"I love you." She tells them both. Zoa's mother tears up as she hugs her husband, almost crying at her daughter's words.
"Aw I love you too honey! And I miss you so much!" Zoa's mother says and Zoa giggles as her mother sends her a few flying kisses.
"We both love you and miss you a lot. But don't mind us. Have fun over there, alright?" Zoa's father says now instead and she smiles and nods her head.
"Alright. I have to go or else I'm gonna be running late. Talk to you later!" She says, waves goodbye at them and ends the call. She lets out a heavy long breath that she hasn't noticed she's been holding in as she ruffles her hair, her eyes getting watery. She was barely holding in her tears earlier because she didn't want to worry her parents but now that they're not watching her she surely wants to let it out.
"You miss them. It's ok. It's normal." Soojin says softly as she stands up from her spot and sits down next to her, rubbing her shoulder as she side hugs her to comfort her.
"Yeah. I guess it is. But I guess I need this in order to grow up and become more independent, right?" Soojin nods her head slowly before she purses her lips in a bittersweet smile.
"I'm sorry it has to be that way, but unfortunately some things are just this way. The hard way." Zoa nods her head slowly before she wipes her tears and stands up, taking her clothes back in her hands and heading towards the bathroom without another word.
[...]
She hasn't talked to her unnieswhen they reached the gym. She only waved at them in a rush and quickly headed towards the benches wherein all students were waiting for their turn. She's sat down on her own spot and has been shaking her feet up and down on their spot in a nervous way as she's waited for her own turn. It's going to take a long time and she feels like time is moving too slow, literally killing her and making her feel even more nervous. She doesn't dare to look at her friends who are sitting at the bleachers right across from the bench she's sitting on, not wanting to get distracted by their happy smiles and faces. There are very few students having come to see their friends participating in this phase of the evaluations and among those people Zoa's loud friends have to be there too. She's not ashamed of them though or anything of the short. If anything, she feels glad they're there for her as she already feels their support even if she's not interacting with them at all or looking at them.
After about two hours of lots of failed attempts from countless of students to whom Zoa feels ashamed and embarrassed on their behalf as they're surely humiliating themselves with how badly they're performing it's finally Zoa's turn. Unlike lots of random students that brag about their skills or the connections they have to the team's members, wearing popular basketball teams' uniforms to pretend that they're way too into the sport and too experienced but end up looking way too stupid and humiliating as they perform way too badly, Zoa is dressed very simply and isn't really doing anything rather than sitting at the corner of the bench and waiting for her turn quietly.
"Jo Hyewon?" A tall brown haired guy to whom Zoa has learned his name is Hyunsuk calls out her name. She stands up from her spot, raising her right hand highly to show that it's her and he nods his head signaling her to come forward in the middle of the court like how every other student have done so far. Meanwhile Zoa's friends cheer for her at the mere mention of her name, screaming her name loudly and clapping enthusiastically. She almost wants to smile, almost feels her cheeks warming up with embarrassment but tries to keep it all under control keeping a straight face on.
She takes big slow steps, feeling her feet moving on their own by how nervous she is and she's sure her bones and articulations are cracking up by how stiff and nervous she is. She stands in the middle of the court, trying her hardest to ignore the fact that everyone is staring at her before she bows and introduces herself in order to confirm that Hyunsuk has called out the right person.
"Jo Hyewon, class 1-A, freshman." She says, her voice coming out stiff and nervous but she tries her hardest to make it sound loud and clear.
"Wait. I know this girl. She's the one who came bragging she's Mr. Choi's trainee the other day!" Younghoon exclaims as he nudges Yunho and some of the rest of his teammates, along with Hyunsuk. He then laughs softly as he leans forward on his desk saying,
"I need to pay more attention to this. This is going to be fun!"
"Hey! Watch your mouth you asshole!" Jiwoo yells at him, already too annoyed at the guy's cockiness as she stands up and shakes her hand violently. Soojin stands up and tries her hardest to keep Jiwoo down along with Soeun from Jiwoo's other side before they tell her to calm down and that this wouldn't help anyone. Fortunately for them Younghoon didn't hear her that well. Jiwoo sits back down on her seat folding her arms to her chest and glaring at the guy angrily.
"I hate this guy. He had so much cockiness the other day! If Zoa is going to be a part of Yunho's team she needs to kick him off or else they're never going to work well together!" Jiwoo explains to the other girls before she narrates the incident from the other day even if the girls already knew it from Zoa.
"Alright. You saw what the others did, right?" Hyunsuk asks Zoa before he passes her the ball. He quickly explains to her what she has to do anyway though as he realizes that none of the previous students have actually performed that well or the whole process of the activities they made them do in order for Zoa to actually know. She nods her head before she positions herself and he starts the timer.
It's simple. All she has to do is run from the one side of the court to the other while dribbling the ball, pass the ball to Hyunsuk before receiving it from him right when she's performing an alley-oop and then shooting and scoring. Zoa manages to do all that in 2:47 minutes which is proved to be the shortest amount of time ever performed in evaluations and Yunho starts applauding her first, making everyone else follow suit. Younghoon seems displeased while Zoa's friends cheer and scream loudly in happiness for their friend.
"Given your perfect performance I should give you a total of 15 points but you've also broken the record so I'm going to give you 18 points. But before that, I would like to see you showing us something. Take this as an extra point." Yunho speaks up this time and Zoa nods her head. She gives the signal with a simple nod to Hyunsuk who sets the timer as Zoa starts performing. She runs fast from the one side of the court to the other, performing a perfect and fast behind-the-back dribble before she reaches close to the basket. She then performs an alley-oop, her hands quickly performing a between-the-legs dribble while she's in the air before she finally dunks the ball into the basket ring, her hands holding onto it for a couple of seconds, hanging on it feeling like she's flying before she jumps off and rushes to get the ball before she hands it to Hyunsuk and bows at the team. She's sure she performed well and no matter what the team believes or the score they give her, she feels way too giddy, ⏤totally not nervous anymore⏤ happy and proud of herself because she's never managed to reach the ring and actually hold it, no matter how tall she is and how high she jumps. She's practiced hard for it but it would just never happen. It was a dream she always wanted to achieve so now it's all that matters to her.
"Damn. I'm giving you a total of 20 points but I badly wish I could give you 25 or something." Yunho says as he applauds her once again and so the rest do as well. Zoa smiles happily and proudly as she finally looks around her, seeing all those students looking at her shocked as if she's some kind of a goddess. She heads back to her spot with a bright smile on her lips, laughing softly as her eyes finally land on her friends who haven't stopped cheering her loudly all this time. They wave at her many of times and she finally smiles back at them, feeling relieved that they're there for her. She can finally smile back at them as she's not nervous anymore.
The rest of the evaluations take a while but at the end the team manages to settle down on a total of 40 students that managed to pass the first phase. They announced that every each of those 40 students is going to perform with the rest until they reach on a total of 12. The second phase of the evaluations is going to be in the weekend and so the team bid the players goodbye before the students started leaving with groans and grumbles following.
"You were awesome!" Jiwoo screams at her friend as she rushes towards her as soon as the evaluations are over for today. She's literally running all the way from the bleachers to Zoa's spot with open arms before she quickly jumps on Zoa, her arms wrapping around the girl's shoulders and back tightly, involving them both in a tight hug before Zoa loses her balance by Jiwoo's high speed and falls down, landing on her butt as she brings Jiwoo along. They laugh loudly but never break the hug.
"I'm so freaking proud of you! You nailed it!" Jiwoo screams at the girl's ear and Zoa can't help but laugh before she also yells loudly on the girl's ear,
"Why are you yelling?"
"Because I'm too happy!" Jiwoo yells back in Zoa's ear on purpose and the two laugh again.
"Jeez, I think I'm going deaf." Zoa lets out at the end before her eyes land on her friends who finally reach their spot.
"We couldn't stop her, sorry." Soeun tells Zoa as she points at Jiwoo and Zoa giggles softly.
"It's ok. I understand." She says as she tries to stand up with Jiwoo in her arms as the girl refuses to let go of her just yet.
"Congratulations little one! We always believed in you." Monday and Soeun congratulate her cooly before they pat her back softly like how dudes do. Soojin gives her a hug and a kiss on her cheek, making Zoa smile shyly, way too happy and giddy she's receiving so much attention from her unniesbefore Jaehee comes to hug her too.
"Congratulations maknae! You were awesome. I would never." Zoa laughs softly at Jaehee's words before she thanks her and finally... finally her eyes land on Jihan who has always been there for her, smiling at her and staring at her all this time, cheering on her. Zoa just hasn't noticed because she's been too nervous.
"You did amazing. Better than your training." Jihan tells Zoa as she stands in front of the girl now. Zoa smiles brightly and nods her head before she says,
"I've never held the ring before! It's always been a dream of mine, unnie. But I've never made it! Can you believe it that I finally did it today?" Jihan smiles happily at the girl's happiness and enthusiasm, loving to see the glee in her eyes.
"Seems like you broke many records today then! The more reasons to celebrate tonight then!" Jihan says and Zoa can't help but smile back and nod her head eagerly. Before they're about to walk out of the gym the basketball team walks towards them and the girls make their way to leave Zoa alone. Even Jiwoo moves aside, though pouts because she doesn't want to let go of Zoa just yet.
"It felt like I was watching Mr. Choi playing today." Yunho confesses before he extends his hand for a handshake which Zoa gladly accepts.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you."
"I'm sure you will make it to the team but I will wish you the best of luck for tomorrow too. You should rest now and celebrate because you worked hard for it and deserve it. Once again, congratulations." Yunho says, smiles at her and bids her goodbye before his team follows him, also congratulating Zoa.
"I believe you were just lucky, kid. Too lucky." Younghoon says as he's the last one to pass by her. He never gives his hand for a handshake or congratulates her and she doesn't mind honestly. She hasn't even though of how things would be with him if she joins the team because she hasn't thought this far yet. But if she ever makes it, she's sure she will try her hardest as she always does and won't care if the others around her like her or not. She knows by now that she can't befriend everyone.
"What an asshole." Monday says.
"Yeah, he's always been one. Make sure to stay away from him once you join the team Zo." Soeun advices her and Zoa nods her head.
"Let's not ruin our mood now though! We're celebrating!" Jiwoo exclaims happily, not wanting to give more attention to a loser like him.
======================================================
The evaluations went on smoothly during this weekend. Zoa had to play against most players and that surely lasted hours as it proved to be an extremely long and tiring process but fortunately for her she managed to make it to the team successfully. Hyunsuk announced the final 12 players to be joining them as well as the fact that as usual, there wouldn't be a phase three of evaluations which Jiwoo has been sulky about because she badly wanted her friend to kick out that Younghoon guy. Zoa told her that she didn't mind though, that she wouldn't be spending that many hours around this guy and overall she had so many other things to care about in order to pay attention to a random guy from the basketball team that didn't like her and got along with her. After all, she couldn't make everyone like her, that's for sure.
They've also celebrated that weekend which Zoa really enjoyed as hanging out with her friends has always been fun. The girls even tried offering her some alcohol since she's officially an adult now ⏤she's been 18 since past May⏤ but she refused, saying that even the smell of it made her feel a little sick.
And so, without her realizing she's already going to attend her very first college party that has been arranged to happen this Sunday night. Not only did Zoa have a busy week but it looks like she's having a busy weekend too. She truly can't take a break and when she asked Soojin why somebody would arrange a college party on the very first week of college Soojin has replied with a shrug of her shoulders along with a casual reply of,
"Well the council thought that it would be a good start for everyone as well as a good step for freshmen to loosen up and get familiar with college and other students too. It's almost a tradition by now to welcome freshmen by throwing a party at the auditorium. I'm not exactly against that idea but I wouldn't say I fully support it so as a diplomatic and fair president that I am I have to agree with their idea and allow the party to happen as well as ask for the professors' permission."
So here she is now, getting stressed out of her mind as she's not even sure how to dress up for a college party. Soojin hasn't been in their room for a while now, having to visit the auditorium a couple of hours before the party in order to make sure that everything is going well so Zoa is left back in the room alone, having messed up the whole room by throwing her clothes in random packs on her bed.
"I mean, how are college students supposed to dress up in college parties?" She asks Jiwoo whom she's in a video call with. She's placed her phone somewhere on her desk, not really looking over at the girl as she's too busy messing up her closet. Jiwoo seems and sounds way calmer than she is as she's actually found an outfit for herself and if Zoa takes a quick glance at her phone's screen she would be faced with the girl sitting on her desk, fixing her make-up.
"I have no idea. But I believe you should dress very prettily in order to impress that someone that has his eyes on you." Jiwoo says and smiles knowingly at Zoa, stealing a glance at the girl. She laughs as she sees Zoa rolling her eyes and glaring at her for a couple of seconds before Zoa looks back at her pack of clothes on her bed, troubled.
"If you mean Yunho oppa then let me correct you once again that he doesn't think of me in that way. I've just joined the team for goodness sake!"
"Yeah but he was the one to come all the way towards you out of all the students to congratulate you again, to tell you how happy he is that you are a part of his team and to call him oppa from now on. He didn't say this to anyone else!" Jiwoo defends her side, twirling a loose strand of her light brown hair in her fingers playfully, smiling at her reflection mischievously at her playfulness towards her friend.
"I believe he thinks of me as a young trainee that can help his team succeed in tournaments. He's just excited and glad to have me on his team. It's like a coach-trainee relationship."
"That's how you see it. You never know what he thinks." Jiwoo says knowingly and Zoa has to pause a little, growing as she stares at her friend, troubled. She hasn't really tried thinking of how things could be for Yunho because for her it was as simple as that. He was a captain and she was just about to join the team. They've barely interacted a few times and that during the evaluations. Wasn't it too early for someone to have a liking on her?
"Isn't it too early for him to think of me that way?" She can't help but ask her friend, wondering how her friend even manages to think that way or make all those scenarios while her own brain doesn't even think like that.
"Maybe. But sometimes there's love at first sight, crush, call it however you want it. Either way, it looks like he has eyes for you and I wouldn't blame him if he did, honestly." Zoa can't help but frown even more as she stares at her friend confused who doesn't look back at her as she keeps fixing her make-up, not sounding like she's making a fun of this anymore but sounding actually serious about it.
Zoa shakes her head, deicing not to worry about that now too before she looks back at her clothes saying,
"I don't get what you mean but even if that's the case then that's his problem, not mine. I don't think of him that way and I don't plan on fueling his feelings for me more. That would be cruel. Make someone have high hopes only to crash them down."
"Hey wow! I didn't say that! Don't make me sound cruel now! I just mentioned it just in case you haven't fully noticed him ⏤which is totally the case by the way. Just think about it Zo. He's a handsome guy, and he seems nice too. Maybe you should give him a chance."
"I don't get why you're trying to set me up on a date with him so bad. I'm not even interested in these things. Haven't even crossed my mind! Why would I pressure myself? I'm still young, I still have time and if love comes at some point, so be it. I don't see why I should rush things." Zoa says as she finally picks an outfit that looks good enough in her eyes right now.
"Fine miss-I-want-to-take-things-slow. But until we finish college I will surely find you a boyfriend, you won't get away from me forever!" Jiwoo says and puffs out her chest like the proud best friend that she feels. Zoa rolls her eyes and giggles softly.
"Sure thing. I trust your taste anyway." Jiwoo nods her head slowly as she turns to look at Zoa through her own phone's screen. She seems deep in her own thoughts for a couple of seconds, her face getting a little gloomy before she forms a bright smile again and points out at Zoa's outfit.
"Hey! That's a nice outfit!"
"You think?" Zoa asks, still a little unsure as she scratches the back of her neck a little shyly.
"Yeah. I mean, if I were you I would go for a more mature and elegant outfit that would totally fit your gorgeous face but you're you so this is perfect." Zoa knits her eyebrows confused at her friend's words.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You're cute and adorable so an adorable floral dress is perfect for you Zo." Jiwoo says with a giggle and Zoa smiles a little, feeling relieved.
"Good, because I totally don't have your confidence to show up in what you're wearing right now." Jiwoo laughs at Zoa's comment, checking out her own gothic, short black dress, fishnet tights and black boots as well as her black leather jacket on top before she nods her head, totally agreeing with her.
"Yep. You totally can't match my confidence." She agrees and the two laugh more.
"Hate you." Zoa mumbles between her laughter as she throws one of her clothes on her phone, covering the screen in the process as if that would somehow reach Jiwoo over the phone call and actually land on her face. Jiwoo laughs harder. Zoa starts getting changed before Soojin finally returns back to their room only to find Zoa applying her own makeup and Jiwoo making fun of her over the phone. Zoa has managed to clean up her mess right before Soojin has entered the apartment telling to Jiwoo,
"If I don't clean this up now Soojin unnie will totally get a stroke or something." to which Jiwoo has laughed hard. So seeing Soojin entering the apartment just when Zoa has finished cleaning up has made Jiwoo laugh even harder, almost falling off of her chair.
"Hey. You guys are getting ready together?"
"Yep. Damn Zoa is fast but I believe I'm faster when it comes to getting ready." Jiwoo says proudly.
"Yeah but that's because you literally wear whatever random outfit your eyes catch at the moment!" Jiwoo laughs at that.
"I won't argue with that."
"You better!"
"Soojin unnie I believe Yunho sunbaenim likes our Zoa but she thinks otherwise. What's your opinion on that?" Jiwoo asks Soojin and Zoa groans again, not really understanding why Jiwoo is pressing so much on this matter. In her own mindset things are very simple. He's her captain and she just joined his team. There's nothing else there rather than a fresh relationship that starts getting built, a relationship a captain can have with his team members.
"Yunho sunbaenim?" Soojin asks as she looks at Jiwoo before her eyes flee on Zoa, observing the girl who immediately says seriously,
"Don't look at me like that unnie. Jiwoo is acting weird!"
"I'm not! I'm just stating facts! It's not my fault you're oblivious!"
"Well I haven't noticed anything. But it wouldn't be bad if something like that ended up becoming true. He's a nice guy. We used to have math together last year. He's pretty smart as far as I can remember." Soojin says, trying to stop the two young girls from arguing.
"See? Even Soojin unnie agrees that he's a nice guy!"
"I didn't say he's not. But I'm not interested." Zoa says firmly this time in order for Jiwoo to stop this little game of hers right at this instant.
"But you might be if you give him-"
"I believe she's a bit young for that. For him too. As much of a nice guy as he is I will feel unsettled knowing that they're together. I'm sorry if I sound too much of an overprotective mother but I've been with Zoa since kids and she's still young for these kind of things. Though I would love to see her starting to crush on a classmate or something. Don't get me wrong. He's just a lot older from Zoa and usually older guys are into more mature stuff that I'm sure she's not ready for..." Soojin says and Jiwoo slowly nods her head deep in her thoughts, seeing Soojin's point before she agrees.
"You're right. I bet she hasn't even thought of that part ever in her life. Maybe she's not even aware that it exists!"
Zoa looks at them both, frowning as she doesn't get what they're talking about and Jiwoo looks back at Soojin saying,
"See? She has that dumb face on again. The one she makes whenever she doesn't understand what we're talking about."
"Excuse me, what am I missing out on?" Zoa can't help but ask before she looks at Jiwoo saying,
"Did you have a boyfriend before? You sound very experienced on the topic." Jiwoo looks at Zoa dumbly as if she's stating the obvious before she laughs hard.
"Boyfriend? No. Girlfriend, yeah. A couple of them. So yeah, I'm pretty experienced in that field. Why? You haven't had a boyfriend in all those years?"
Zoa's eyes widen as she stares at Jiwoo in shock, her world slowing down as her ears start ringing. Jiwoo not only did have a girlfriend ⏤and not a boyfriend⏤ but she had plenty of them. How can Zoa even process this? What should she process first? The fact that Jiwoo isn't straight? How has she not noticed? Is this thing visible? Can you tell? How Zoa could know? Why didn't she know? Why hasn't Jiwoo tell her? Is Zoa dumb for not being able to tell? Has Jiwoo always shown signs that she liked girls back in elementary school? Has she ever mentioned anything throughout this whole week that Zoa hasn't caught on? And what that was? How should Zoa feel about the fact that Jiwoo likes girls instead of boys?
It's shocking, Zoa has to admit. She mostly feels shocked about finding out such a part of her friend without having noticed it before and she can't help but wonder when it has happened or how has she not known or noticed before. She's not homophobic or anything, but it surely is a shock. She's not as shocked as she was when she heard Monday was making out with both genders in college and that Soeun's type is black haired girls. That surely has been an almost traumatizing moment in Zoa's young life when she found out at the age of 16 and only. She was so young and innocent for her brain to process this or even be able to think of something like that moreover understand it. But Monday has explained that college is usually the age where people try out things in order to find themselves, including trying out making out with both genders in order to find out what they like and Zoa has slowly accepted that. But then again she's never seen her unnieswith girlfriends or with hook ups overall so it was information mostly forgotten and placed in the back of her head.
"Hello? Earth to Zoa?" Jiwoo says before Soojin takes a step closer to her younger friend before she curses between her gritted teeth and turns to look at Jiwoo saying,
"She had the exact same reaction when Monday told her she was making out with both genders in order to find out who she likes two years ago."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jiwoo asks, confused.
"I'll explain another time. She's not homophobic, I promise you. She's just a little slower than you, for sure. Can you give us a minute actually?" Soojin says before she abruptly ends the call even though Jiwoo is still confused from the other side of the phone call. Soojin takes Zoa's hands in hers before she leads the frozen girl on her bed, both of them sitting down.
"Zo... I hope you know this doesn't change anything between you and Jiwoo. She just has a different preference than you. Just like how you adore pizza, listening to music and playing basketball so Jiwoo adores girls. And there's nothing wrong with that, mmm?" Zoa's eyes are still widened as her lips are formed in a pout. She stares on their carpet but she doesn't seem to be actually looking at it as she looks more like she's deep in her thoughts, having entered a whole different other universe.
Of course Soojin would have to give examples to Zoa about pizza and other things Zoa loved a lot because if she told Zoa about boys Zoa wouldn't understand because she's never had a crush before ⏤so not a boyfriend either to answer Jiwoo's question. She's never really shown any interest in that gender actually. She's had male friends for sure, like everyone else, but things have always been pretty natural to her. She's been surrounded by lots of classmates and friends who kept talking about boys so in the back of her head she had the possibility that one day she will fall for a boy but that was all. She hasn't crushed on a boy before, hasn't liked anyone that way, hasn't even had a celebrity crush like liking Michael Jackson or Elvis Presley for example! Or even liking a boy band like Big Time Rush or something! like most of her classmates did. She surely had posters of her favorite albums or songs but she wasn't talking that much about the bands as if she's been obsessed with them or having actually idolized them or something. You could easily find way more plushies and posters with unicorns in her room back at her parents' house rather than male actors or singers for example.
And it was normal cause Zoa is still young and she's not in a rush to grow up, unlike every other young adult her age that would have totally grown up way much more than her. The world is moving on on a very fast pace and people constantly seem to rush, then stress out about things and surely rush to grow up too. Then they rush to somehow make themselves look younger because at some point and on they don't like growing up because growing up means dying at some point for sure. And people are afraid of dying because they don't know what's there waiting for them. But Zoa is so unlike every other person out there. She's enjoyed her childhood, she's enjoyed her puberty and now she's enjoying her adulthood in her own slow ⏤and normal let me tell you⏤ pace, without rushing to know about everything.
Soojin rubs Zoa's shoulder as she side hugs her, waiting for the girl to process everything in her head. When Monday has told the group about her first experience on a random messy hook up she had with a girl she hasn't thought Zoa would have this reaction so it took a lot of time and talking for Soojin in order to help the girl understand and then again Soojin isn't even sure if Zoa ever understood to the fullest. Soojin doesn't even want to imagine how it would be for Zoa once some of the three of them would announce to her that they've found a girlfriend. Zoa hasn't even caught up on the joke of double dates Monday has made fun of her of the other time. How could she possibly understand that Jiwoo had a girlfriend more than once?
"I just don't understand. You've talked to me about this before but I don't understand how I didn't realize this before. Jiwoo is my friend. How come I didn't see it?" Zoa finally speaks up.
"Well, sometimes people don't talk about it that much. And maybe some other times they don't express it at all because they're scared of other people finding it out. They're afraid of their judgment. I doubt Jiwoo was afraid of your judgment. I assume there hasn't been a chance for her to tell you. She's not like Monday, commenting on every girl walking around us, now is she?" Zoa shakes her head slowly while her mind tries to think of every single one of their hangouts the past few days and if Jiwoo has ever acted somehow or looked at any girl somehow differently.
"I believe she hasn't had the chance yet. Now that she did, she told you about it. And from now on you'll be able to see it too because now you know." Zoa nods her head slowly before she stands up, finally realizing that time has flown very fast.
"We need to go. And I need to apologize to her for my odd reaction once we see her." Soojin chuckles softly.
"It's ok. I'm sure she understands."
"She kept insisting to find me a boyfriend so I've assumed she liked guys too for some odd reason because it's like... the standard?" Zoa says, shrugging her shoulders, a little unsure of how to explain herself. Soojin smiles sympathetically.
"Just because she insisted on finding you a boyfriend doesn't mean she likes them for herself. She's just a good friend and wants to look out for you and your taste even though her taste is different."
"I guess so." Zoa mumbles before the two get their bags and leave the room. Soojin knocks on the door across from theirs in order for them to pick up Jaehee and Jihan too and Zoa can't help but smile brightly as soon as she spots her two new unnieswalking out of their room.
"Hey. Wow I didn't know grannies know how to dress up!" Jaehee teases Soojin who laughs at her comment. They start walking down the hallway Zoa and Jihan following them from behind.
"Hi unnie!" Zoa exclaims to Jihan who smiles back at her.
"Hey yourself. You look nice!" Jihan compliments her and Zoa smiles shyly, mumbling a soft,
"Thank you unnie."
"Hey you look gorgeous too! Like, so pretty!" Zoa compliments her back, her eyes never leaving Jihan's outfit as she can't stop herself from complimenting the girl's outfit, and Jihan can't help but laugh, her heart fluttering at the girl's adorableness.
"Thank you." She cuts off Zoa, trying to stop her from keeping on going with her compliments because she's not sure if she can handle more compliments. Zoa giggles as soon as she realizes she's gone a little too far.
"It's my first college party." She lets out.
"I know. This party is for you, actually." Jihan says, making it sound like it's specifically for Zoa and not all freshmen, including Zoa who also happens to be a freshman.
"Yeah. For me and all the freshmen out there." Zoa corrects her, fixing her hair a little with her fingers, shyly.
"What do people do at college parties, unnie?" Jihan purses her lips as she thinks about it a little.
"Have you been to parties in high school?" Jihan asks her, seeming to not mind if Zoa replied negatively at this question instead of any other person out there who would totally judge her for it as if it's something bad and you should totally be ashamed of it.
"Yeah. I have. I can't say they're my kind of thing though." Zoa says, memories of high school parties flashing before her eyes. Zoa is an active and talkative person so of course she participates in a lot of things happening around her as she's usually not excluded by things her classmates did or tried out so of course she's been invited to plenty of parties back then and has gone to all of them along with her friends.
"Why?" Jihan asks her shortly, not seeming disappointed by Zoa's answer, just purely curious.
"I don't know what older people do at parties but in high school it was usually boys trying to flirt with you, hundreds of couples making up everywhere, people vomiting here and there and lots of alcohol. I didn't mind the music. If anything it was the only good part about parties though I can't say I'm that one person that dances all night and has everyone's attention on them. Honestly it was mostly an excuse for people to kiss and for new couples to be born I suppose." Jihan laughs at Zoa's response, finding Zoa's frown adorable.
"I agree with you honestly. Parties in my high school were exactly like yours too. Too lame. Unfortunately I can't promise you it's any different here. But at least people aren't that straightforward or eager for a hookup as in high school so I'm glad I don't have to reject that many people over one night." Zoa laughs lightly, nodding her head in agreement.
And with that, they reach the auditorium. The moment they enter the big hall Zoa feels a little too lost and glad at the same time that she's not completely alone or else she would have totally gotten lost. The hall is huge and there are hundreds of students in there from all classes and years, vibing to the music. The deeper they walk, the more students Zoa sees while she spots a big dance floor in the middle of the room and lots of students already dancing to the loud music playing at the speakers. The dim lights are almost making her eyes hurt as she's totally forgotten how it feels to be at a party. You just can't return home without being almost deaf and blind for at least the first couple of hours and with an extremely intense headache that lasts for a whole day if you actually attend a real party.
They stop by the big busy bar filled with lots of students going back and forth, taking drinks for their group of friends that are sitting all over the place.
"I spotted Monday." Soojin says loud enough in order to be heard before she leads the way between the many students standing by the bar or the nearby tables. Zoa feels a little uncomfortable for having to walk in between bodies and she almost feels a little too anxious for the possibility of losing sight of her friends. Jihan who's right in front of her turns to look at her with a sympathetic look on her face saying,
"I'll hold you so we won't lose each other." before she reaches out to hold Zoa's hand and that's the second time the older girl is holding her hand. Overall Zoa is an affectionate person with her unniesand friends and shows her affection in multiple ways so holding hands isn't something she's experiencing for the first time right now, but holding hands with a friend she's just made in two weeks is something she hasn't experienced before. It surely takes more time for her to become more affectionate towards others but she doesn't mind this at all now as she feels like she's been friends with Jihan and Jaehee for a lifetime. Almost as long as she's known her eonnideul. And that bonding isn't something she's felt with that many people no matter how many years they've been around her during her school years. She assumes it has to do with the fact that they're best friends with her unniesbut then again it's also because they're now her best friends too.
Even if it doesn't last that long, Zoa likes how Jihan holds her hand. Jihan's hand is smaller than hers, more delicate and warm and it fits just right in hers. It feels comfortable too and if anything it fuels Zoa's giddiness within her too. Zoa thinks that maybe she can hold Jihan's hand easier and more often from now on.
"Hey! What took you so long?" Monday exclaims as soon as they reach her spot.
"Sorry, long traffic." Soojin jokes.
"You're not funny." Monday says with a groan though Soeun laughs.
"She laughed." Soojin says and folds her arms to her chest proudly.
"Traitor!" Monday tells Soeun.
"Hey! What could I do? It was funny!"
"It wasn't. And, for your record unnie, she always laughs at everything because she's an idiot!" Monday tells Soeun at first before she turns to look at Soojin.
"Mean." Soeun comments, not caring at Monday's comment about her because they never take these things seriously.
"At least I have a loyal fan that can always have my backup." Soojin says and winks at Soeun who smiles back, proud to be Soojin's fan. Zoa smiles as she observes her eonnideul. It looks like a good day for her unniesas peace is back in their group and the girls make light jokes again. Zoa is sure she prefers it that way, way more than when the two spit sarcastic comments at each other that would actually hurt one another.
"Again, traitor!" Monday comments at Soeun who only laughs in response.
"What can we get you pretty young ladies?" Soeun says instead and Jaehee immediately gives her her order saying something about the need of a drink in her system but totally not an alcoholic one as she hates the taste of it.
"You're being too nice for calling her a young lady too." Monday tells Soeun, referring to Soojin who glares at her.
"She just called me her loyal fan, I couldn't just not compliment her back!" Soojin smiles at Soeun's remark and Soeun smiles back, winking at her.
"Jeez you two! Just get a room already!" Monday groans before she adds,
"Dude, I feel like I'm third wheeling so bad!" Soeun and Soojin just laugh at her.
As much as Zoa wants to keep holding Jihan's hand she spots Jiwoo sitting along with her unniesso she lets go of Jihan's hand who turns to look at her surprised. Zoa smiles apologetically at her before she stands by Jiwoo's side.
"Hey." She says a little awkwardly, not sure how to get to the point.
"Hey you. Done freaking out about my sexuality?" Jiwoo says casually, not seeming to hold any grudges against her just like how Soojin has told her. Damn Zoa should really stop worrying out too much.
"I'm sorry, for earlier." Zoa says honestly.
"It's fine. Soojin texted me about it. I'm also sorry for being so hard on you, you oversized teddy bear!" Zoa laughs at the nickname Jiwoo has just given her before the girl defends herself by claiming,
"What!? It's cute! And you're cute too. Just like a teddy bear. So I'll call you that from now on." Zoa laughs before she nods her head.
"Do whatever you want, I don't mind."
"Good. You're forgiven by the way." Jiwoo says, pecking Zoa's cheek and making the girl's eyes widen in surprise before she smiles shyly again. Jiwoo laughs hard at her reaction.
"Seriously you're one of a kind!" Jiwoo exclaims before she hands Zoa her drink saying,
"Come on. Let's take a walk around here. I'm curious to see how things are at college parties. Who knows? Maybe we will figure out some very interesting couples from our classmates." Zoa laughs at that as she nods her head, finding the couples-hunt interesting.
She takes a look behind her, her eyes landing on her friends, a part of her not really wanting to leave their side as she's having fun around them too but she knows hanging out with Jiwoo is fun too. She then stares at Jihan for a little longer, another part of her not wanting to leave her side as well as she feels like she hasn't been around her that much lately ⏤for the past couple of hours⏤ but she guesses the night is young and she will surely get some time to hang out with her too. Jihan's eyes land on her for a brief second and smiles at her. Zoa forms a goofy smile back at her before Jiwoo drags her further by holding her hand and so Zoa has to turn to look ahead of her again, focusing her attention back on what Jiwoo is telling her.
"You seem pretty interested in our youngest one Han Jihyo." Monday says with a smirk on her lips as she glances at Jihan, then Zoa and then back at Jihan, sipping her drink and seeming to enjoy this a little too much as if she's just watching a sappy rom com infold in front of her eyes.
"She's fun. And adorable. And you guys have been talking so much about her and always show so much love to her, I always wondered how she is as a person and wanted to meet her. Now I get why you all love her and take so much care of her. She truly is one of a kind." Jihan says and Monday and Soeun can't help but whistle at her response.
"So you're into her." Monday says but Jihan shakes her head immediately.
"She's just a nice friend." She confirms. Monday smirks as she narrows her eyes before she says,
"Sure Han Jihyo."
"Yeah, we believed you." Soeun says as well before she turns to look at Monday a little lost saying,
"What were we supposed to be suspicious of about her again?" Monday groans loudly before she hits Soeun on the side of her head lightly grumbling,
"Gosh your crush on Soojin is making you lose your brain cells! Get it together you idiot!"
Meanwhile, a little bit further from them, Jiwoo drags Zoa towards a group of people who are busy playing truth or dare because she believes these party games are fun and because a few of their classmates are playing this game right now so Jiwoo wants to join them. Zoa believes these games are stupid and usually make her feel uncomfortable but sometimes they're good to make people get closer and know a few things about one another if they're played in the right way and not by trying to end up making the other people do something embarrassing or people to just make out again. Seriously sometimes Zoa doesn't understand why people make so many excuses to make out with people. If you want to make out, just do it. Then again people don't always have confidence so maybe that's why they came up with these idiotic games. Either way, Zoa has played those games a lot of times in high school so she can say by now that she's a professional at this and can perfectly lie when she's supposed to tell the truth, faking it so well that people actually buy her lies as the truth. That way she gets it away with just that.
They take a spot around the big table wherein the students play the game and drink a lot, greeting their classmates before Zoa realizes something. Younghoon is playing too. She guesses that shouldn't be a problem though her mind warns her to be careful nonetheless or else she's going to be gossiped about from her team members for a long time and she doesn't think she can bear that humiliation for a long time.
"Look who's here. The log!" Younghoon exclaims. Jiwoo frowns, immediately annoyed and about to reply something harsh but Zoa stops her by holding her hand in order to calm her friend down.
"Where does this nickname even come from?" She whispers to Zoa instead.
"Maybe he thought of it because I'm tall and stiff when I'm nervous. But I'm totally not a log when I play so that was random." She whispers back to Jiwoo before she decides to ignore him and the two start a conversation with their classmates next to them.
"Hey log! Truth or dare?" Younghoon asks her at some point. Zoa isn't an idiot. She knows the truth hurts more and even though she's experienced at saying lies she can't risk it right now especially if it's something too tricky so she picks the dare thinking that whatever it is, she is brave enough to do it.
"I dare you to kiss May on the lips." Younghoon says and smirks playfully. Zoa stares at him in shock before her eyes land on her new female teammate named May. The girl looks at Zoa shyly and Zoa can't help but look away, the mere thought of kissing a girl on the lips making her feel weird, her stomach tightening as her nerves start shaking in what she knows well as fear and nervousness so far.
"Ew, that's gross." Aisha, another one of her new teammates exclaims while another one named Doyeon says,
"Yeah that's too much. Don't make us do weird things. It will be too awkward tomorrow."
"What? It's a party! You can act like nothing happened tomorrow because it's all in a stupid game at a random party. It doesn't matter! She can always say no too. Of course if she wants to be called a coward for the rest of her college years that is."
"Coward? She's not going to be called a coward for not wanting to do the stupid things you make her do." Doyeon says.
"Yeah, just ignore him." Yunjin, another teammate of hers says as she looms at Zoa, trying to encourage the girl to just drink up and pass the challenge. Meanwhile Zoa is still standing on her spot, shocked by the dare, feeling way too nervous to utter a single word. She hasn't kissed anyone before and hasn't even thought how that would feel or with whom she wanted it to be with. She thought it would be the obvious —with her future boyfriend whom she will love dearly. She has never thought of losing her first kiss to a stupid dare challenge in a random college party on some random girl. Sure, it's not a random party, it's the welcoming party for freshmen and sure it's not just a random girl, it's a teammate of hers but that doesn't make any difference to Zoa. It's still a girl and it still feels very weird and almost frightening to Zoa. Moreover the circumstances she's under for going for that kiss. It's a nightmare!
"She is."
"Really? Who's stupid enough to call her a coward for not wanting to do a dare? Doesn't she have her own will to deny something?"
"Me. I'm not the stupid one but I will for sure call her a coward."
"Well, you're indeed a coward yourself then. Just admit you're jealous she's better than you." Doyeon continues arguing with him as she's not afraid of him and actually seems to be used to bickering with him.
Zoa feels uncomfortable trying out that dare but at the same time she dislikes how they're obviously fighting for her. And for what? For a stupid dare for a stupid meaningless kiss! She looks at May nervously, wondering if she should just give it a go to make them all stop arguing for her, fiddling with her fingers nervously, not being able to decide whether her hands should pick the glass of drink in front of her or just take May by her hands and kiss her. She gulps nervously, her eyes going back and forth as she truly can't make up her mind before finally someone comes to her rescue.
"Hey! I lost you." Jihan exclaims as she places her hand on Zoa's shoulder. Zoa flinches before she turns her head to look at Jihan and immediately relaxes. Her shoulder doesn't though as she feels her skin burning up beneath the girl's hold but decides to ignore it.
"Hey. Yeah, Jiwoo thought it would be a good idea to play some party games." She replies awkwardly as nervousness still runs in her system.
"And, who's winning?"
"No one? It's not about winning actually."
"It's about kissing. Zoa has to kiss May or she can just pass the dare and drink up." Jiwoo explains to Jihan who has been trying to encourage Zoa all this time to actually try to kiss the girl saying,
"You can try it out and see if you like it! She's cute! I'm sure it will be a cute kiss!" But Zoa never thought it would be a good idea, actually feeling terrified by it.
"Haven't you played enough of these silly games in high school?" Jihan asks Zoa who slowly nods her head, both of them ignoring the few stares they get as well as Younghoon and Doyeon who are still arguing.
"Do you wanna get some fresh air then?"
"Sure!" Zoa replies, a little too giddy as she feels too glad to be saved by Jihan. If anything, Jihan has just gained another nickname tonight; heroine. Because she's Zoa's heroine. Or so Zoa feels at least. She stands up and follows Jihan outside turning to look at Jiwoo before she says in a rush,
"I'll be outside with Jihan." and follows the older girl who immediately links their hands together, also seeming a little too comfortable with their hold already.
They walk past plenty of students, past the bar wherein their friends are still standing, drinking, making jokes and flirting with each other and surely past the main gates of the auditorium. After a couple of feet away from the auditorium and already halfway through the hallway, the loud music already having faded away from their ears Jihan finally lets out,
"You looked pretty uncomfortable in there so I thought I should do something. I hope I'm not doing something you didn't want." Zoa shakes her head immediately.
"No no! Actually I'm thankful you saved me." Jihan giggles softly before she squeezes the girl's hand in their hold, bringing a smile on Zoa's lips.
"That dare was a little overbroad. I mean mischievous guys like Younghoon could do that but if you just want to kiss somebody just change the game and play spin the bottle instead."
"I agree."
"Plus with a teammate it's even more awkward. He was aiming for it to see your reaction. No matter what you were going to choose he would still make fun of you." Zoa pauses a little as she finally realizes that Jihan is right. If she indeed kissed May Younghoon was indeed going to make fun of her for kissing a teammate over a stupid truth or dare game. How foolish of her to think that she could get away with that!
"Do you think it would be different if it was a boy?" She asks, not sure why her mind ended up making this question nor how it slipped past her lips.
"I don't think it would make any difference honestly. He was just aiming to make fun of you because he's jealous of you." Jihan says honestly and Zoa stays mute for another couple of seconds thinking of the girl's words. Jihan is the second person that night to claim that Younghoon is jealous and thinking about it now makes sense. She's new, she's young, she's trained by Mr. Choi and she's broken so many records already by being so skillful and capable. She's not sure how Younghoon is doing in basketball now or how he used to perform at her age but it's surely not better than hers or else he wouldn't feel threatened and jealous.
"Does it matter to you?" Jihan asks her at some point.
"Mmm?" Zoa hums back questioningly as she doesn't really get what Jihan is referring to.
"Does it matter if it was a boy or a girl you had to kiss?"
Normally Zoa would respond with a 'yes' adding the fact that she believes she's into guys and will date a guy one day, once she falls in love because that's the standard right? If it was any different she would have shown signs of it, right? But that's when Zoa realizes she hasn't shown any signs of liking a guy either. Not a crush, not a celebrity crush, not an attraction, not even a comment about somebody who looks handsome because Zoa doesn't really pay attention to these things and doesn't really care about that stuff as she doesn't believe she's that old to get herself into a relationship. She's not interested in that right now. Right now she wants to focus on college, basketball and her friends.
She stays mute for longer than the expected amount of time a person needs to think of an answer and Jihan realizes the girl might never reply.
Zoa on the other hand is shocked as she realizes she's never shown any interest in any gender. Is she not straight? At the mere question Zoa's world crumbles down immediately. It feels so wrong just by thinking about it and it makes her immediately feel like she doesn't know anything about herself anymore. She's so lost. If she isn't into guys then what is she into? And who is she supposed to date once she falls in love? What if she's asexual and never gets attracted to anybody? What if she never ends up falling in love? What if she never finds the one? Then she will always keep wondering in whichever gender she's into!
Zoa's eyes widened at the shock of this news. She shakes her head. No. This can't happen. She's sure she's straight because she always thought so and because she's always thought of herself dating a guy. She's never thought of anything else and she's never shown any signs of anything else. Even if she hasn't shown any signs to guys she just knows it's them. It has to be. For her sanity.
Then again, she doesn't fully confirm it to Jihan, giving her reply a little too late by saying,
"I don't think it matters because I didn't want to do that dare in the first place. I don't want to have my first kiss like that." Zoa says before she realizes she betrayed the fact that she hasn't been kissed ever before. But then again she doesn't feel embarrassed by it in front of Jihan because it feels comfortable around her and she trusts her already. Jihan nods her head slowly before she asks another question,
"So you believe in the magic the first kiss holds?"
"Uh... kinda? I mean, I don't want it to be a meaningless kiss so I assume it will be with my future boyfriend? A person whom I will love and care about. I don't like meaningless things and don't do things without a purpose so I don't like the thought of kissing somebody just because a game told me so." Zoa explains and Jihan sometimes wonders how somebody so young and innocent can think so maturely sometimes.
"I get that. And I agree with you on that. I hope your first kiss will be with someone you love and care about then."
"Thank you unnie." Zoa says softly before the two of them step outside of the college building and head towards a mini kiosk at the back yard.
"Then, what about you? How was your first kiss?" Jihan chuckles at the question, totally not having expected it though she should have. She smiles embarrassed and Zoa bets it was a good kiss but Jihan shakes her head before she says softly in a barely audible mumble,
"I guess I'm in the same situation as you. Waiting for that someone." as she looks away shyly, her cheeks burning up and getting painted in a light rosy color, as she takes Zoa by surprise with her response. Zoa totally didn't expect this.
"Oh!" She exclaims before a soft, "ok" follows and the two walk in comfortable silence for a while, their hands remaining linked together until they reach the kiosk. Jihan moves a little forward, deciding to take some fresh air and leave some distance between them, suddenly feeling too overwhelmed by her own feelings.
Truth to be told, she lied to Monday earlier and she knows Monday and the girls could tell. They didn't pressure her about it but they know. They surely know and she knows too. She's growing a liking for Zoa and that's definitely not a friendly type one. But the girl seems clueless about it and overall clueless about love too. She's too innocent and doesn't have any experience in love and the fact that she doesn't want a relationship right now just shuts any possibility of Jihan getting her feelings returned back. Then again the girl claims that she's straight too which is another clear sign that she will never like her back. And no matter how Jihan likes the fluttering feeling in her chest and her enthusiasm and liking towards the younger one, if her feelings aren't going to be returned then she's going to get hurt and she really doesn't want that. She has to stop herself now that it's early, now that she still can, now that they haven't developed but she can't really avoid Zoa either in order to achieve that...
She feels troubled...
She takes a deep breath in, looking around at her surroundings, resting her shoulder and side of her body frame on one of the columns the kiosk has.
"I like it here. It calms me down a lot. There are lots of flowers and along with the well and the kiosk it makes it look like one of those beautiful gardens palaces in fairy tales have." Jihan speaks up before Zoa comes to stand by her side, also taking in the view of the yard around them, humming softly in agreement.
"Do you come here often, unnie?"
"Honestly, not as often as I would like. College tends to get busy and along with the after school activities we have, friend hang outs and parties there's no free time to visit this place that often even if it's less than five minutes away from our dorms. I make sure to come here a lot when I'm stressed though. It's like my little hideout. My safe place." Jihan confesses a little too sentimental before she turns to look at Zoa, the sentimentality still in her eyes as she says seriously,
"Do you think you can protect my safe place? By showing it to you it means I trust you a lot to make it remain as my safe place, Hyewon." Zoa feels her heart fluttering at Jihan's long, intense stare on her, the girl's warm dark brown glistening eyes filled with emotions, making Zoa's heart warm up. She feels her body warming up upon hearing her birth name coming from the girl's lips for the first time ever since the two actually introduced themselves to each other. She dumbly nods her head without giving it a second thought, not really understanding how anybody could harm Jihan's safe place and how she, herself, could keep it safe and hidden.
Jihan cracks a small smile before she turns to look at the moon in the dark sky filled with stars, its light illuminating their frames and making them look more beautiful somehow. She sighs lightly, thinking to herself,
I trust you Zoa
letting herself go, letting herself feel. She trust Zoa. Zoa won't hurt her no matter what her feelings for Jihan are. Jihan trusts her even if it's still early. Because the two feel a lot closer than normally people having been hanging out for only two weeks feel. Because Jihan feels like she's known Zoa for a lifetime and she's sure the girl feels the exact same way.
"Let's get you back. The unnies might think you were kidnapped or something." Jihan speaks up again as she turns around, facing the building once again before she holds Zoa's hand again who simply follows her.
"Yeah, they tend to worry too much." Zoa agrees and the two giggle as they head back inside the college building, heading to the auditorium.
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