"You're gonna catch a cold if you keep going to sleep with wet hair," Liz fussed, tugging Rei out of bed by her pyjama sleeve. The other girl tumbled out of the covers, stray foot sending a squishmallow toppling off the edge.
Liz made a gruff noise when she opened the drawer and couldn't find the hairdryer. Maybe either Rei or Wonyoung had misplaced it this morning. She groaned and slammed it shut.
.
"My name is Liz," Liz said proudly, sticking her hand out to shake Wonyoung's.
Shy and conserved - that's what Liz thought of her the first time she saw her sitting alone at the corner of the classroom with her ankles crossed daintily.
She shook it lightly. Wonyoung had very pronounced knuckles - something Liz noticed too.
Liz pulled up a chair to Wonyoung's desk. Wonyoung was on her phone, texting someone, an earbud in.
Wonyoung took in Liz's bold outfit - a white button down under a flowery sweater vest and a soft pink pleated skirt. She had flat shoes on, and most likely came from home. Wonyoung looked down at her own school uniform.
"Wanna be friends? I live like, right around the corner, so I think I'll be seeing you around often," Liz said.
"Sure," she said with a smile, looking at Liz. "Are you Japanese?"
Liz blinked. "Huh?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," Wonyoung chuckled, speaking in Korean again, "I thought you were Japanese. Because of your name."
"Kim Jiwon," Liz introduced, showing her a school notebook from her bag. "I'm from Seongwipo, Jeju."
"Well, Seongwipo, welcome to Seoul. I'm Wonyoung," Wonyoung laughed. Liz grinned.
Another girl with dark hair and bangs like her bounded up to them. She put her elbows on the table and half-crouched. "Who's this?" Rei asked Wonyoung.
"I'm Liz. I'm not Japanese, my real name is Kim Jiwon, but Liz is cool," Liz said.
"Me and Wonyoung go to the same school. 'Liz' sounds so cool. Let's be friends?"
"Yes! Gosh, you look fun," Liz exclaimed, looking at the space bun hairstyle Rei wore.
"Is that Yujin?" Rei asked, peeking at Wonyoung's screen. Wonyoung nodded. Liz tilted her head.
"Who's Yujin?"
"Oh, her girlfriend," Rei snorted teasingly. Wonyoung kicked her ankle. Her face contorted into an expression of panic and she could feel her palms getting damp-
"Oh woah, I never would've expected you to be into girls," Liz said, rocking her chair. "Not that there's a physical agenda to like girls or whatever, just thought because you looked- expensive? Uh, proper? Prim and proper? - you'd be into guys your parents like- Yeah, I'm talkin' too much."
"Slow down, girl!" Rei laughed, clapping a hand onto Liz's wrist. Both Wonyoung and her were absolute puddles right now.
"Well... are you okay with it? I'm sorry if it's weird to you," Wonyoung said softly.
"No, no! Me too actually!" Liz said hurriedly, about to laugh.
.
How long had it been? Three, four years?
However long it was, it was definitely enough time to notice how Rei was the single most interesting and snarky person in the world, someone who you could listen to talk for hours and never get bored, and how charmingly pretty she was when she laughed with her whole chest or until her face scrunched up, and how her cheeks glowed with mirth, and-
"Ow, man-" Rei hissed sharply when Liz tugged too hard. The towel had caught some of her hair and pulled.
"Sorry," Liz mumbled as she began drying a section of Rei's hair with the towel again.
.
The air was thick with delicious smells of spicy stew and steamy rice. Yujin uttered a "thank you for the food" before shovelling a loaded scoop of the kimchi fried rice into her mouth. She groaned and slumped forwards, holding up a thumb. "This is so good!" she said, muffled.
Wonyoung thanked Gaeul, unbelieving the restaurant worthy spread, and took a piece of short rib from the saucepan. She bit off a chunk of meat.
"Sooo," Gaeul started, nudging Yujin with her shoulder, "what did you guys do in there?"
"She gave me one of her drawings," Wonyoung said, chewing. "I was gonna pay, but she told me not to."
"What's that on your wrist?"
Wonyoung looked down at her forearm and twisted it towards her. Ahn Yujin written in black ink stuck out like a tattoo. She scratched her head and thought of an excuse.
"Um, making out," she said distractedly, and when she realised what she'd said she put down her spoon and waved her hands, "wait, no, I meant- MAKING UP! I meant making up. Reconcilation. Burying the hatchet-"
Gaeul laughed loudly and Yujin coughed beside her. She delivered a few messy cat slaps against Gaeul with a hand and covered her nose and mouth with the other as she cleared her windpipe of spicy rice. Wonyoung laughed too, but just because Gaeul's laugh was funnier than her embarassment.
She inhaled a great scoop of rice and egg after, head bowed. Yujin sipped water.
A buzz that vibrated through the air startled Gaeul. She picked up her phone.
"Hyunseo?"
Hyunseo's eyes and nose were pressed to the camera. "Hi Gaeul! Are you eating now?"
"Yes," Gaeul said, flipping the camera and showing her the food. She panned it to Yujin, who grinned and held up a peace sign, then waved.
"Hey Gaeul," Hyunseo interrupted. "Who's that?"
Wonyoung's hair was in the frame.
Yujin took the phone and turned it towards Wonyoung. "She's-"
Hyunseo's deafening squeal exploded through the speaker. "IT'S HER! SHE'S THE HOT ELIGIBLE SINGLE I SET YOU UP WITH- AHA! YOU GUYS HIT IT OFF, DIDN'T YOU?!" She pat herself on the shoulder - "Good job Hyunseo, good job."
Yujin, Gaeul, and Wonyoung exchanged knowing looks.
"LEMME SEE HER!"
Gaeul handed the phone over and Wonyoung got an eyeful of Hyunseo's fisheye view face.
"Hi, I'm Wonyoung," she greeted.
Hyunseo stared at her. "You're exactly Yujinnie's type, aren't you?"
"I think I am," Wonyoung said knowingly, smirking at Yujin. A little teeth showed as her nose wrinkled in a small grin, and Yujin just about fell down seventy flights of stairs head over heels in love again.
