Chapter Text
“So…” Nien said, walking beside Seoyeon along the quiet campus path. The night air was cool, carrying the faint rustling of leaves and the distant hum of traffic beyond the university gates. She looked around casually, hands in her jacket pockets. “You wanna just go to your place, or walk around a bit?”
Seoyeon didn’t answer immediately.
She took a few slow steps before lifting her gaze toward the girl walking slightly ahead of her.
The moonlight painted soft silver outlines around Nien’s silhouette. Her short hair, now dyed brown, caught the light in uneven strands that moved whenever she turned her head. The glow traced the line of her jaw, the slope of her shoulders, and the toned muscles of her arms that showed under the sleeves she had pushed up.
Seoyeon’s gaze lingered a little too long. She quickly looked away.
Stop that.
Her thoughts were getting weird again.
It hadn’t always been like this. For a long time, Seoyeon was sure she hated Nien.
Well… maybe hate was too strong of a word. But she definitely disliked her. A lot.
The way Nien talked to everyone like they had known each other forever annoyed her. The way people liked her almost instantly annoyed her even more. It was frustrating watching someone move through social situations so easily while Seoyeon preferred structure, rules, order.
And then there was the physical stuff.
Anything involving strength, height, endurance, sports, or anything even remotely athletic, Nien excelled at it without seeming to try. Volleyball matches, running events, random campus competitions. She was always there, always loud, always confident.
And Seoyeon hated that too.
What annoyed her even more was that, most of the time, Nien would also score grades higher than most Korean students in Korean Language classes.
Which was ridiculous.
Because her fluency hadn’t come out of nowhere.
A lot of it came from Seoyeon herself.
Expressions she used during conversations. Casual phrases. Emotional tones. Even some cuss words that slipped out when she got frustrated.
Nien learned them from her.
“Hey, pres!”
Seoyeon looked up from her desk inside the Student Council office.
“It’s president, not pres,” she corrected calmly, adjusting the papers in front of her. “More respect, please.” Her face remained composed, but inside she was already irritated.
Nien leaned casually over the desk, resting her chin on her hand like she had all the time in the world. She completely ignored the correction. “Do you wanna go out with Sohyun, Dahyun, Nakyoung and I?” she asked brightly. “We’re going to karaoke tonight, and they told me you’re their friend too.” She tilted her head slightly, smiling. “So I thought maybe we could all go together. What do you say?”
Before Seoyeon could even begin thinking of a polite rejection, Dahyun suddenly appeared beside them. “Yeah!” she said excitedly. “Come with us. It’ll be fun.”
Seoyeon stared at her. “My childhood friend. My best friend. How could you betray me like this?” Of course, that thought stayed safely inside her head.
Out loud, she sighed. “Okay… I guess,” she muttered. “When?”
Nien’s eyes lit up like someone had just handed her a trophy. “Yes!” She punched the air dramatically.
“Nien,” Dahyun said with a soft laugh, “you’re not a hero or a protagonist. You don’t have to do that.”
Nien ignored her completely. “Is 7 PM okay?” she asked. “Oh! I’ll pick you up, so send me your address.” She looked directly into Seoyeon’s eyes when she said it.
“Do you even drive?” Dahyun asked, her tone playful.
“No,” Nien replied without hesitation. “But I want to walk with someone, and she was the lucky one I picked.” She made finger guns and pointed them at Seoyeon.
Seoyeon closed her eyes for a second. “It’s just one night. You can handle it.” She thought to herself.
“Fine,” she sighed. “I’ll send you my address later.”
“Then give me your number? Pleeease?” Nien extended her phone toward her, pouting dramatically.
Seoyeon didn’t argue anymore, she simply typed her number into the phone and handed it back.
Nien immediately changed the contact name from Yoon Seoyeon to 아기 얼굴 before slipping the phone back into her pocket.
Once Nien left for lunch, Dahyun followed behind her.
“Baby face?” Dahyun asked.
Nien shrugged. “I mean, look at her face,” she said casually. “It’s super small. Like a baby.”
She giggled and continued walking toward the cafeteria.
“Seoyeon?”
Nien’s hand waved slowly in front of her face.
Seoyeon blinked and snapped back to the present. “Oh— sorry,” she said quickly, looking away. A faint blush warmed her cheeks. “I just zoned out.”
“On me?” Nien teased. “I know some people do that, but I didn’t think you were one of them.” She turned and resumed walking a few steps ahead. “But what do you say?” she continued. “Your place, or walking?”
Seoyeon thought for a moment, looking around at the quiet campus.
The paths were almost empty now. Only a few distant lights from dorm windows remained.
“Hm… I’d rather walk a little more,” she said. “Then I can go home.”
“You’re not going alone, okay? It’s late.” Nien stopped walking and turned to face her. The tone in her voice was casual, but there was a quiet firmness behind it.
Seoyeon noticed.
She didn’t reject it.
But answering felt… complicated. So instead, she just stayed quiet.
For now.
-
They walked for about 20 minutes. Stopping only to discuss again about Nien walking her home or not.
“Let’s go?” Nien asked, she stood a bit behind Seoyeon now, staring at the ground.
“Oh, yeah, but... I forgot to tell you… I'm staying the weekends at my parents' home.” The brown-haired girl shifted slightly and looked at her. “My sister begged me, so I couldn't deny.” There was a warm smile on Seoyeon's face. Nien mimicked the motion.
“Ok.” She appeared more serious now, but still energetic. “I'll walk you there! And no ‘no’, I'm going with you and that's it.” She crossed her arms and leaned back on a lamppost, her smile still present.
“Fine.” Seoyeon accepted her fate and started walking to the campus exit with Nien following her behind.
In the middle of the way, Nien's phone beeped.
‘Three unread messages.’
Dumb Goddess (08:56 PM)
I'm going to sleep
Sohyun's still here
We didn't do anything weird, don't worry
Her eyebrows jumped in surprise. “Wow, it looks like Sohyun will sleep at our dorm.” She typed a quick “good night” to her roommate and went back to walking.
“Suspicious.” Seoyeon joked.
“I mean, Xinyu said they didn't do anything weird. I want to trust her.” She laughed.
“Well, at least we're not there anymore.” Seoyeon laughed back and added. “I think that by now we would be hearing some weird noises.”
“I don’t even want to imagine them now.” Nien laughed and looked at the girl, staring across the street.
“We're here.” Seoyeon pointed to her left. There was a giant house, practically a mansion, with a big garden in the front. “Sorry if it's a lot, but even with that much space it is hard to live with my sisters' chaos.”
She pressed the doorbell beside the gate and waited. A soft mechanical sound followed as the gates opened.
“Open sesame.” Nien joked, her hands open in the direction of the gateway.
Seoyeon giggled. “Let's go, it's freezing out here.”
They passed through the garden, Nien admiring the flowers and the bushes with different shapes of different animals.
“Is that a dog?” She pointed to one of the bushes.
“Yeah. My mom said it reminded her of me, so she always asks the gardener to keep that one like that.” Seoyeon looked around the yard. “There’s one for each member of the family.”
She pointed them out one by one. A reindeer, a squirrel and two large cats that Nien couldn’t quite identify.
“That’s cute,” Nien said. Then she tilted her head slightly. “Also, weird that after years of being friends this is my first time at your place.”
“Yeah… sorry…” Seoyeon looked down briefly, guilt showing on her face. She pushed open the large front door. “Come in.” The blonde did a full emotional 180 in seconds, switching from that small, guilty look to a wide welcoming smile. It wavered slightly at first but stayed.
When they entered the house, they were greeted by two girls.
“Hi, unnie!” Chaeyeon was sitting on the big couch in the living room.
“Seoyeon unnie! Chaeyeon doesn’t let me talk to my friends in peace!” A small girl stood near the coffee table, pointing accusingly at her sister.
Seoyeon walked over immediately, beginning some kind of playful negotiation between the two.
Nien watched the scene quietly from the entrance, a small smile tugged at one corner of her lips.
Seoyeon looked back and gestured for her to come closer. Nien didn’t hesitate for even a second. Her smile widened as she joined them.
“Girls, this is Nien—”
She was immediately interrupted by a pink-haired girl.
“Wait a minute guys, I’ll be back soon!” She muted the phone she had been speaking into and turned toward Nien. “Hi, I’m Chaewon.”
The other sisters rolled their eyes as Nien laughed. “Hi hi!” She then turned to the other girl sitting on the couch. “And you—”
“I’m Chaeyeon!” She grinned widely. “Are you the one she’s always talking about?” She pointed straight at Seoyeon.
Seoyeon looked like she might actually commit a crime, but the moment she noticed Nien looking at her too, she forced an awkward laugh “Oh, yeah, of course. Let’s go up, Nien?”
“Sure! But you’re scaring me.” Nien fake-cried dramatically, though her smile betrayed the act.
Seoyeon led the way, going up a set of stairs. They could still hear Chaewon. “Hi, I'm back!” Nien giggled, and then was stopped by Seoyeon.
“Get in,” She opened one of the various doors in the hallway, her voice still showing a hint of irritation.
Nien obeyed.
“Sorry about them, they love joking around.” Seoyeon once again laughed awkwardly, entering the room and locking the door behind.
“It's ok! I don't mind it.” Nien turned back to look at her.
They stared at each other for a while.
“Uhh, want to do something?” Seoyeon started rummaging around her room, looking for anything to keep her distracted.
“Dont know, what do you have that we can do?”
“I have some video games here, and some good ones that I stole from Chaewon, like, um…” She dug through a small cabinet full of random game DVDs. “I think it's better to go look at the online media, there's nothing fun here.”
The girl clicked on a small white circle engraved on a big rectangle and turned on her TV.
While she chose a game for them to play, Nien used the time to explore the room. The place was big. The biggest bedroom she's ever seen.
One wall was occupied by just one bed and the nightstands beside it. Another had a big wardrobe and a TV with a couch in front. The other had a desk, some bookshelves and a table, also filled with books and school items. On the door wall there were only some posters of various games and music groups. The whole room was painted in a pastel blue, all objects shared at least one part with that same color, some, even more.
“You like blue, huh?” She looked back at the blonde girl, whose hair created a contrast to the room.
Seoyeon turned to Nien with a shy smile. “Yeah, it's my favorite color…” She turned back at the screen, pausing on a specific game. “Wanna pla-”
She was once again interrupted.
“You know what's mine?” Nien was already sitting on the couch, next to her.
“What?” She ignored the girl’s lack of answer and pressed confirm, opening the game.
Nien placed her hand on her chest, pretending to be hurt. “How can you not?! You don't have even a single guess?”
“I don't know…” Seoyeon looked up, thinking. “Yellow? Orange? Anything ‘fresh fruit’ vibes.”
Nien jumped at the girl, her smile bigger than ever.
“Aawww! You know! Kinda, but it was really close! You just need to add a little more confidence in your second answer.” She hugged her tightly while explaining. Seoyeon tried getting away, but Nien was just too strong to do that.
“Since when were you so strong?” She mumbled through the pain.
“Since always!” She gave Seoyeon a quick kiss on the cheek and lightly shook the girl around.
“Aaaaahh! leave me alone! You monster!” She released Seoyeon and started laughing.
“I need to do that more.” Nien giggled.
“I was going to play Just Dance because you like dancing, but I guess I'm not going to anymore.” Seoyeon sulked and crossed her arms, turning her back to Nien.
“No, please! Let's play!” She threw herself onto Seoyeon's back, trying to reach the remote.
“No, I'm angry now.” The blonde said, trying to move Nien away. Only to be met with the sad reality that even though she could free herself from the weight above her, she could not keep Nien balanced for enough time to run away.
Nien did as gravity wanted her to do, and fell above Seoyeon.
“Since when do I live in a romantic anime?” Seoyeon thought, eyes closed, but opened after a few seconds.
The girl above her was just as shocked as her, a faint red painting her cheeks and ears. Nien muttered something under her breath, but Seoyeon couldn't hear it over the loud sound coming from her heart.
Neither moved.
Not for long.
Seoyeon tried shifting herself to get up. Nien immediately stood up and looked away.
“Sorry…” She apologized.
Seoyeon was in silence for a few seconds. “It's okay… it was my fault. I tried running away, but I was too slow.” She laughed awkwardly. Again.
“It's my fault too.” She looked back at Seoyeon, still sitting on the couch. “I shouldn't have dropped myself on you.”
They stared at each other for a few seconds.
“Uh, let's play?” Seoyeon broke the silence, pointing to the game, a song already looping on the menu.
“Yeah.”
The first song was awkward. Too awkward.
But as they played, they slowly returned to their usual rhythm.
One round became two.
Two became five.
Five became eight.
Eventually they stopped counting.
Almost two hours and thirty minutes later, both girls collapsed on the couch, panting.
“Gosh, I'm so, so tired. I think I can pass out right here.”
Nien laughed at the girl lying on the couch as if she was dead. “Go to sleep. I'll head to my dorm.” There was a small but genuine smile on Nien's lips as she stood up and gathered her belongings.
Seoyeon looked up at her.
“Do you really want to go?”
Silence.
“I think it's better. I don't wanna interrupt your night. Also, I don't wanna sleep on the couch.” She laughed.
“Ok… I'll call a taxi for you.” Seoyeon's smile faltered, but she quickly left the room.
Nien could hear her voice downstairs speaking to someone, but she couldn’t make out the words.
She waited quietly.
Then someone knocked on the door.
“Hey,” Seoyeon opened the door slowly. “My dad said he will take you back to your place. Do you want me to go with you?”
Nien looked at her with worry. “Didn’t you just say you could pass out?”
“I was joking.” She walked closer to the couch, leaning on the couch's backrest. “But I can go to say goodbye to you.”
“Hmm… okay!” The gloomy cloud above Nien's head disappeared instantly. She got up and picked up her bag.
They headed down stairs, where Seoyeon's dad was sitting on one of the chairs from the big dining table. Drinking a glass of… water? Nien just hoped it was that.
“Dad,” Seoyeon waited for him to turn to her before continuing. “Let's go?”
He gave her a warm smile and stood up, picking up the car key and walking to the garage. “Yep, let's.”
They followed Seoyeon's dad through the big house.
“He seems fun.” Nien whispered to the blonde walking by her side.
“Yeah, he really is,” Seoyeon replied, eyes soft. “Maybe a little too much sometimes.”
When they entered the garage, Nien froze.
Ferraris. Dodge Demons. A Hellcat. Rows of expensive cars gleaming under bright lights.
“Wow…” Nien was dumbfounded by all the vehicles, eyes shining.
“Do you like cars?” Seoyeon’s dad asked, stopping beside one. A black and gold Bentley Flying Spur.
“I know a bit, like,” She looked around the room. “From here I only don’t recognize… maybe five?”
He laughed. “You know a lot then.” He opened the door and got inside the car. “Get inside, kids.”
Seoyeon opened the door for Nien, who thanked her shyly, and got in behind her.
“Where do you live?” He started the car and got out of the garage.
“At MSNZ, the arts dorm building, sir.” Nien looked down, a little embarrassed.
“No need to call me 'sir', just call me Dad, or Uncle, or-”
“Dad, we get it.” Seoyeon seemed annoyed, but her low laugh contradicted her.
Seoyeon and her dad continued bickering about stupid things for ten whole minutes, stopping only when they arrived at the building.
“Okay, we're here.” He parked the car and waited for them.
“Let's go. I'll leave you at the door.” Seoyeon got out of the car and once again opened the door for Nien.
“Gentlewoman, huh?” Nien teased.
They walked through the lobby, reaching the elevator, Nien pressed the button to her floor and looked at her own reflection on the mirrored wall of the elevator.
“Are you okay?” Seoyeon asked, worried about the quietness of the usually energetic girl.
“Yeah, I'm fine… just tired from all the dancing, I guess.”
The door opened. Nien smiled at her and started walking.
“Wow, I'm not even getting a good night?” Seoyeon pouted, following behind Nien with arms crossed.
Nien stayed in silence until she got in front of her dorm.
“Good night.” She ruffled Seoyeon's hair and entered the room, waving her a last bye with a soft smile.
Seoyeon froze there, blushing, but visibly annoyed. She made an angry face and left complaining about her messy hair.
“Dad,” She got inside the car and put on her seatbelt. “I'm tired, can we go now?” She rested her arm on the door panel, and touched her cheek. It was still warm.
He started the car, eyes steady on the road, but still commented with a smile. “You're the one who asked me to take her here.” He laughed. “What is her name?”
She sighed. “Nien. She's not from around, if that's what you're asking yourself.”
“Figured.” He stopped at a red light and looked at his daughter with a fond smile. “She looks fun, really agitated, but she has the knowledge.” He laughed.
“She said the same about you, and you only think that because she knows car names.”
Soon the vehicle started moving again. “Sure, sure.” His eyes got back to the road, hands firm in the steering wheel. “But, what did she do to get you so shy?” He joked.
“Ugh, you exactly like mom, you know?”
“And your sisters, and you too. Guess the teasing runs in the family.”
Seoyeon only hummed, gazing at the lights of the night city.
They stayed in silence for the rest of the ride. When they got inside, Chaeyeon immediately greeted them.
“Hi, where'd you go?” She paused whatever she was watching on the TV and looked up at them.
“We were leaving Seoyeon's friend at her house. Pretty nice girl, you should meet her.” He put away the car keys and started walking to the stairs. “Is mom sleeping already?”
“Yeah… she said she was tired from work.”
“Okay, good night, girls.” He went up the stairs, leaving Seoyeon and Chaeyeon alone in the living room.
“Thanks, Dad, good night.” Seoyeon threw herself on the couch with an annoyed expression, she knew what was coming.
“So…” Chaeyeon started, her playful grin already present. “What's going on between you two? Wasn't she the one you would complain about every day when you were in high school?”
“Ugh, I don't know,” She massaged her temples. “I don't know what to think anymore.”
Chaeyeon didn’t push, she just stared, confused, but still smiled.
“Where is Chaewon?”
“In her room, talking to Hayeon. They think they are glued to the hip.”
“She's still talking to her?” She looked impressed. How would shy little Chaewon be able to talk for so long?
“Oh, no. Earlier she was talking to her, Hyerin and Soomin. She started a call with just her, like…” She grabbed her phone to check the time. “Almost an hour ago.” She deadpanned.
“Wow. as funny as Hayeon can be, Chaewon is a warrior for spending so much time with her.” Seoyeon said with an amused expression.
Chaeyeon laughed. “Why? I can't see why she'd be so tiring.”
“She flirts an awful lot.” She looked at her sister with a knowing smirk. “If I was Chaewon I think I would've fallen in love already.”
“Maybe she already did,” Chaeyeon shrugged, failing to hide how giddy she was from thinking about her sister's crush. “We can interrogate her until she gives up and confesses!” She stood up, looking as excited as scientist with a groundbreaking discovery.
Seoyeon stood up too, much calmer than her sister. “You go, I'll sleep.” She walked in the direction of the stairs. “I’m too tired for all of this.”
Chaeyeon followed behind her. “Ok, here's the plan, we will ask about Hayeon at least once a day and-”
“Chae, go to sleep, it’s late already.” She opened her bedroom door and got inside.
The taller girl huffed, laughing right after. “Sure, gramps. Good night.”
Chaeyeon walked to Chaewon's room and knocked.
“Come in!”
“Hey, are you still talking to Hayeon, or can I talk to you?” Chaeyeon asked with a low voice, scared that Chaewon's friend could hear her.
Seoyeon could hear some parts of the conversation through the walls
“Just go to sleep!”
"Fine..." A door closed and murmurs came around the hallway. "Why is everyone here so angry about this." Another door opened, then closed back.
Before falling asleep, Seoyeon was interrupted by a notification.
Nien ☀️ (12:52AM)
are u sleeping?
아기 얼굴 (12:53AM)
I'm up.
Everything alright there?
Nien ☀️ (12:53AM)
yeah
the lovebirds woke up
they can’t stop talking >:[
아기 얼굴 (12:54AM)
Try counting sheep.
It usually works for me.
Nien ☀️ (12:54AM)
but that would just be me counting myself :/
아기 얼굴 (12:54AM)
Nien, you are not a sheep.
Nien ☀️ (12:55AM)
people say I am
I just listen to what my friends tell me >:p
아기 얼굴 (12:55AM)
Of course.
Just try counting anything.
Cats, hamsters, dogs, pandas, squirrels.
Nien ☀️ (12:56AM)
it will be dogs
it’s your “family bush” animal ;)
아기 얼굴 (12:56AM)
Sure, anything for you to sleep.
Good night.
Nien ☀️ (12:57AM)
good night! 🧡
Seoyeon turned off her phone. Ironically, she couldn’t sleep either, because Chaewon was still saying goodnight to Hayeon. Again.
Seoyeon sighed.
And started counting sheep.