Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Saturday morning came quietly.

Yunah was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling.

She hadn’t done much since waking up. She had checked her phone, scrolled through a few messages, and gone back to lying there.

But no matter what she did, her thoughts kept drifting back to Minju.

It was getting annoying.

She rolled onto her side and reached for her phone.

Friday had felt different without Minju at school.

They usually sat together in English, and even when they weren’t talking, Yunah had gotten used to having her beside her.

She hadn’t realized how much she’d gotten used to it until Minju wasn’t there.

Yunah opened her messages and tapped on Minju’s contact.

She stared at the empty message box for a moment.

What was she even supposed to say?

Hey, I missed you yesterday?

Absolutely not.

Yunah frowned at her screen.

Why was texting one person suddenly so difficult?

After a few more seconds, she finally started typing.

Yunah 🏸:
 hey, are you okay?

She paused before sending another message.

Yunah 🏸:
 you weren’t at school yesterday

Yunah 🏸:
 are you sick?

Yunah sent the messages and put her phone down.

There.

That wasn’t weird at all.

She reached for her blanket and pulled it over herself, determined to stop thinking about it.

A few minutes passed.

Then she picked up her phone again.

No reply.

Yunah stared at the screen before locking it.

Minju was probably resting.

She was sick, after all.

Still, Yunah couldn’t help checking her phone one more time.

────୨ৎ────

Minju was lying in bed, staring at her phone.

Yunah’s messages were still sitting on her screen.

She wanted to open them.

Actually, she wanted to reply.

But she couldn’t bring herself to do either.

Every time she thought about Yunah, her mind went straight back to Moka.

That girl was always around Yunah. At practice, on the court, and sometimes even when Minju wanted to spend time with her.

Minju knew they were teammates.

She knew there was nothing wrong with being friends.

But that didn’t stop the uncomfortable feeling in her chest whenever she saw them together.

What if Yunah liked her?

Minju turned onto her side, pulling her blanket closer.

What if Yunah was only being nice to her?

What if all those little moments they’d shared didn’t mean as much to Yunah as they did to her?

She looked back at her phone.

Yunah 🏸: hey, are you okay?

Yunah 🏸: you weren’t at school yesterday

Yunah 🏸: are you sick?

Minju stared at the messages for a little longer.

Yunah had noticed she was gone.

She had even bothered to check on her.

That had to mean something, right?

Minju sighed and locked her phone, setting it beside her pillow.

She didn’t want to overthink everything.

But lately, it felt like that was all she could do.

…

Minju couldn’t take it anymore.

She needed to do something to get her mind off Yunah.

She had been feeling better since yesterday, so she decided to get out of bed.

After doing her usual routine in the bathroom, she walked toward Juhoon’s room before stopping.

Maybe he could use a distraction too.

She knocked twice.

“Yeah?”

Minju opened the door and peeked inside.

Juhoon was lying on his bed, staring at his phone.

He looked up when he noticed her.

“You wanna go out with me?”

Juhoon tilted his head.

“Go where?”

“I don’t know. Somewhere.”

He stared at her for a moment, clearly considering it.

Then he shrugged.

“Sure.”

Minju smiled.

“Okay. Get ready, then.”

She started to leave but paused at the doorway.

“And don’t take forever.”

Juhoon rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. Okay.”

Juhoon waited until he heard her footsteps disappear down the hallway before looking back at his phone.

Martin’s name was still sitting in his recent messages.

He hadn’t opened their conversation in a while.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true.

He’d opened it several times.

He just hadn’t sent anything.

Juhoon stared at the screen, his thumb hovering over the conversation.

He wondered what Martin was doing.

Whether he even thought about Juhoon anymore.

Juhoon frowned and locked his phone.

This was getting ridiculous.

He had asked Martin for space, so why was he the one who couldn’t stop thinking about him?

Juhoon shook his head, putting his phone aside.

Maybe going out was a good idea after all.

At least he would have something else to think about.

He hoped.

────୨ৎ────

Meanwhile, Martin was lying on his bed, scrolling through his phone.

He had been doing that for almost twenty minutes.

He wasn’t even looking at anything in particular.

He just didn’t feel like doing anything else.

His thoughts kept drifting back to Juhoon, no matter how many times he tried to distract himself.

It was frustrating.

They had been getting along so well lately. Martin had thought they were finally becoming friends, but now he wasn’t even sure where they stood.

He missed talking to him.

And that was the problem.

Martin tossed his phone onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.

He needed to get out of the house.

After a moment, he reached for his phone again and opened his messages with Yunah.

Martin 🎸:
 hey ru busy today

He waited a few seconds.

Yunah 🏸:
 not really why

Martin 🎸:
 wanna go out somewhere?

• Yunah 🏸:
   where

Martin 🎸:
 idk 😭

Martin 🎸:
 maybe the cafe 👀

Yunah 🏸:
 you just wanna buy food

Martin 🎸:
 and?

Yunah 🏸:
 😭🫩

Yunah 🏸:
 fine what time

Martin smiled slightly.

Martin 🎸:
 like an hour?

Yunah 🏸:
 okay

Martin 🎸:
 see u there

Yunah 🏸:
 see u

Martin put his phone down and finally got out of bed.

At least he had something to do now.

He wasn’t going to spend another entire day thinking about Juhoon.

Or, at least, that was the plan.

────୨ৎ────

About an hour later, Martin arrived at the café.

He spotted Yunah sitting at a table near the window, looking down at her phone.

“Hey!”

Yunah looked up.

“Oh, hey.”

Martin pulled out the chair across from her and sat down.

“You look tired.”

Yunah gave him a look.

“Good afternoon to you too.”

Martin laughed.

“I’m just saying.”

“I’m fine.”

She put her phone facedown on the table.

Martin glanced at it.

“Waiting for someone to text you?”

Yunah immediately looked at him.

“No.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t even say who.”

Yunah stared at him.

“Martin.”

He grinned.

“Okay, okay.”

She rolled her eyes, and he laughed again.

For a little while, they talked about school, the band, and whatever else came to mind.

It felt nice to be out of the house.

But every so often, Martin caught himself wondering what Juhoon was doing.

He quickly pushed the thought aside and looked at Yunah.

“So, what are you getting?”

Yunah glanced at the menu.

“I haven’t decided.”

“You always get the same thing.”

“Because I like it.”

“Then why are you looking at the menu?”

“Because I can.”

Martin laughed.

“Fair enough.”

Neither of them noticed the two familiar figures approaching the café entrance.

────୨ৎ────

Minju pushed the door open, Juhoon following behind her.

“I’m starving,” she announced.

Juhoon shook his head.

“Okay.”

Minju looked around the café, searching for an empty table.

Then she stopped.

“Wait.”

Juhoon nearly bumped into her.

“What?”

She subtly pointed toward the window.

Juhoon followed her gaze.

Martin.

And Yunah.

Sitting together.

For a moment, neither sibling said anything.

Minju’s expression changed slightly.

Juhoon looked away almost immediately.

Of all the places they could’ve gone…

Minju glanced at her brother.

“Do you want to go somewhere else?”

Juhoon looked at her.

He considered it.

He really did.

But leaving just because Martin was there felt ridiculous.

“No,” he said quietly. “It’s fine.”

Minju studied him for a second before nodding.

“Okay.”

They walked toward the counter to order.

Across the café, Martin happened to glance toward the entrance.

He froze.

“Wait.”

Yunah looked up.

“What?”

Martin stared toward the counter.

“Is that Juhoon?”

Yunah turned around.

Her eyes widened when she spotted Minju beside him.

“Minju?”

Minju heard her voice and turned.

Their eyes met.

For a second, both girls simply stared at each other.

Minju gave Yunah a small smile.

Yunah waved, a smile slowly appearing on her face.

Martin looked between them.

Minju walked over with Juhoon beside her.

Martin looked over at Juhoon.

“Hey.”

Juhoon adjusted the strap of his bag.

“Hi.”

A brief silence settled over the group.

Martin hadn’t expected to see Juhoon today.

And judging by the way Juhoon kept his eyes on the table, he probably hadn’t expected to see Martin either.

Yunah looked at the two of them, then glanced at the empty seats in the booth.

“You guys should sit with us.”

Minju looked toward Juhoon.

She hesitated before nodding.

“Oh, sure.”

Juhoon looked at his sister.

“Minju—”

Minju looked at Juhoon.

She smiled softly, giving him a look.

Juhoon immediately understood.

He sighed quietly before sitting next to Martin.

Yunah moved her bag off the chair beside her.

Minju immediately took the seat next to her.

For a moment, nobody said anything.

Then Martin cleared his throat.

“So… you guys came here together?”

Minju nodded.

“Yeah. We were getting bored at home.”

Juhoon glanced at her.

“You were getting bored.”

“Same thing.”

“No, it’s not.”

Minju gave him a look.

Martin laughed a little.

Juhoon looked at him briefly before looking away again.

Yunah glanced between the siblings.

“What are you guys getting?”

“Something with chocolate,” Minju answered immediately.

Yunah smiled.

“Should I call the server, or are you guys still looking?”

“Not yet,” Juhoon said quietly.

Yunah nodded before looking at Minju again.

“Have you been feeling better?”

Minju paused.

She hadn’t expected Yunah to ask.

“Yeah. I’m feeling a lot better today.”

“That’s good.”

Yunah’s voice was softer than before.

Minju looked down at the table, playing with the edge of the menu.

“Thanks.”

A small silence passed between them.

Minju wanted to ask about the messages Yunah had sent her. She wanted to explain why she hadn’t replied.

But with Martin and Juhoon sitting right beside them, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything.

Instead, she looked at the menu again.

“So, what do you usually get here?”

Yunah leaned closer to look at the menu with her.

“Usually a matcha latte. Sometimes something sweet.”

Minju smiled.

“Yum!”

Across the table, Martin watched them with a small smile before glancing at Juhoon.

“You want anything?”

Juhoon looked up.

“Hm?”

“From the café. Are you getting something?”

“Oh. Yeah, I’m still looking.”

Martin nodded.

“Do you want any suggestions? I’ve probably had everything on the menu.”

Juhoon hesitated.

“It’s okay. Thanks, though.”

Martin’s smile faded just a little.

He was trying everything he could think of to start a conversation with Juhoon, but he kept getting shut down.

“Okay.”

He looked back at his phone.

Juhoon immediately regretted how that sounded.

He didn’t mean to be rude. He just didn’t know how to act around Martin anymore.

Before he could say anything else, Minju turned toward him.

“Hoon, have you decided what you want?”

Juhoon looked at her.

“Not yet.”

Minju nodded before looking back at the menu.

“I’m getting chocolate pancakes. You should get something too.”

“I know.”

“Then hurry up. I’m hungry.”

“You’re always hungry.”

Minju gasped.

“Excuse me?”

Martin let out a quiet laugh.

Minju turned toward him.

“Why are you laughing?”

Martin raised both hands.

“I’m staying out of this.”

“Smart choice,” Yunah added.

Minju looked between them, offended.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Yunah laughed, and soon Martin joined her.

Even Juhoon smiled a little.

For a moment, the tension at the table eased.

Then Yunah noticed the server approaching another table nearby.

“Oh, the server’s coming over. You guys should decide soon.”

Minju immediately looked down at the menu again.

“Chocolate pancakes. Definitely.”

Yunah smiled.

“Still haven’t changed your mind?”

“Why would I?”

“Fair enough.”

Juhoon finally settled on a drink and quietly closed his menu.

Martin noticed.

“Found something?”

Juhoon nodded.

“Yeah.”

Martin gave him a small smile.

“Good.”

It wasn’t much of a conversation, but at least Juhoon had answered him.

A few seconds later, the server approached their table.

“Hi, everyone! Are we ready to order?”

Yunah looked around the table.

“I think so.”

She ordered her usual matcha latte, while Minju asked for chocolate pancakes.

Then the server turned toward Martin and Juhoon.

Martin ordered his drink and a croissant first.

Juhoon followed, giving his order quietly before handing the menu back.

“Perfect. I’ll have those out for you soon.”

The server walked away.

Minju leaned back in her seat.

“Okay, now we wait.”

Yunah smiled at her.

“You say that like it’s the hardest part.”

“Because it is.”

Martin shook his head, amused.

Juhoon looked down at the table, listening to their conversation.

He wanted to join in. He really did.

But every time he thought about saying something to Martin, he remembered how things had been between them lately.

He wasn’t sure whether Martin was still upset with him.

And he was even less sure how to fix it.

Across from him, Martin glanced over.

Their eyes met for a brief second.

Juhoon looked away first.

Martin lowered his gaze to the table.

Neither of them said anything.

For now, the others continued talking around them, unaware of how much remained unsaid between the two boys.

…

A few minutes later, Minju leaned back in her seat, glancing toward the hallway at the back of the café.

A few seconds later, she turned toward Yunah.

“Hey, can you show me where the bathroom is?”

Yunah looked up.

“Now?”

Minju nodded.

“Yeah.”

Yunah glanced at the table before picking up her phone.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

The two girls got up and walked toward the back of the café.

Martin watched them leave before turning toward Juhoon.

For the first time since they’d sat down, they were alone.

Neither of them spoke.

Juhoon looked down at his hands, while Martin tapped his fingers lightly against the table.

Finally, Martin broke the silence.

“Can I ask you something?”

Juhoon looked up.

“Yeah.”

Martin hesitated, trying to find the right words.

“I know you said I didn’t do anything wrong, but…”

He paused, glancing at Juhoon.

“Why did you want space from me?”

Juhoon went quiet.

Martin looked down at the table.

“I’ve been thinking about it, and I just don’t really understand.”

He let out a small, awkward laugh.

“I thought we were getting along pretty well. And then suddenly, you didn’t really want to talk to me anymore.”

Juhoon swallowed.

“Martin…”

“I’m not trying to make you feel bad,” Martin added quickly. “I just wanna understand.”

Juhoon looked down at his hands again.

He knew Martin deserved an answer.

Especially after how he’d been acting lately.

“I wasn’t trying to stop being friends with you,” Juhoon said quietly.

Martin looked at him.

“Then what were you trying to do?”

Juhoon opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

“I… just got scared.”

Martin looked at him, tilting his head.

“Of me…?”

Juhoon shook his head.

“No, of course not.”

Juhoon fiddled with the sleeve of his shirt.

“When you first asked me to make the poster, I thought that was all you wanted from me.”

Martin stared at him.

“The poster?”

Juhoon nodded.

“I know you said you liked my art, and you wanted to work with me, but I kept thinking that maybe you were only talking to me because you needed someone to make it.”

He paused, gathering his thoughts.

“When we finished it, you got busy with the performance. We barely talked that day, and I started thinking that maybe you didn’t need me anymore.”

Martin’s expression changed.

“Juhoon…”

“I know it sounds stupid.”

“No, it doesn’t—”

“Just let me finish, please?”

Martin immediately nodded.

Juhoon looked down again.

“I thought that once the poster was done, you wouldn’t have a reason to talk to me anymore. And I guess I started expecting you to leave before you even did.”

His voice grew quieter.

“So I thought… if you were going to stop talking to me anyway, maybe I should just distance myself first.”

Martin didn’t respond right away.

Juhoon finally looked up at him.

He swallowed.

“And instead of asking you about it, I pushed you away before you could do it to me.”

The words hung between them.

For the first time that afternoon, Juhoon wasn’t trying to hide what he was thinking.

He looked nervous, almost like he regretted saying any of it.

“I’m sorry,” he added quietly. “You didn’t deserve that.”

Martin looked at him for a long moment.

Then he leaned forward slightly.

“Do you really think I only wanted to be friends with you because of the poster?”

Juhoon didn’t say anything.

Martin looked down, rubbing his thumb against the side of his cup.

“I mean, the poster was why I approached you in the first place. I’m not gonna lie about that. But that doesn’t mean that’s the only reason I kept talking to you.”

Juhoon slowly looked back at him.

Martin continued.

“I could’ve just gotten the poster from you and left it at that. But I asked you to come over because I wanted to spend more time with you. When I said we should hang out again, I meant it.”

Juhoon went still.

“You did?”

“Yeah.”

Martin gave a small, almost disbelieving laugh.

“I thought that was pretty obvious, but I guess not.”

“It’s not that I didn’t believe you…”

Juhoon trailed off.

Martin raised an eyebrow.

“Then what?”

Juhoon looked down at his hands.

“I just wasn’t used to it.”

“Used to what?”

“Someone wanting to spend time with me.”

Martin’s expression softened.

Juhoon let out a quiet breath.

“I kept thinking there had to be a reason. Something you needed from me. And when I couldn’t think of anything anymore, I assumed you wouldn’t want me around.”

Martin was quiet for a moment. Then he shook his head.

“I like talking to you. I like working on stuff with you, but I also like just sitting around with you. We don’t have to be doing something important every time we hang out.”

Juhoon felt something loosen in his chest.

He hadn’t realized how badly he needed to hear that until Martin actually said it.

“Oh.”

Martin smiled faintly.

Juhoon let out a small laugh, looking embarrassed.

“I’m sorry I made things weird.”

“You did make things weird.”

Juhoon immediately looked up.

Martin’s expression softened before Juhoon could say anything.

“But I’m not saying that to make you feel worse. It hurt when you started avoiding me, especially because I didn’t know why.”

Juhoon nodded.

“I know.”

“I kept wondering if I’d done something wrong. Or if you regretted coming over that Saturday.”

“No,” Juhoon said quickly. “I didn’t regret it.”

Martin looked at him.

“Really?”

Juhoon shook his head.

“I had fun.”

A small smile appeared on Martin’s face.

“Good. Because I did too.”

Juhoon returned the smile, though it was still a little hesitant.

They weren’t suddenly back to normal. There was still a lot they needed to talk about, and Juhoon knew he couldn’t expect one conversation to fix everything.

But at least Martin understood now.

And maybe, if Juhoon stopped letting his fears make decisions for him, they could figure the rest out together.

Martin glanced toward the hallway.

“Think they’re coming back anytime soon?”

Juhoon looked over.

“I don’t know. Minju probably found something else to talk about.”

Martin laughed.

He looked back at Juhoon.

“Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“Next time something like this happens, can you just talk to me? Even if it’s awkward?”

Juhoon thought about it before nodding.

“I’ll try.”

Martin smiled.

“That’s all I’m asking.”

Just then, Minju and Yunah returned to the table, chatting quietly.

Minju slid into her seat and looked between the two boys.

“Did we miss anything?”

Juhoon glanced at Martin.

For the first time that afternoon, he didn’t immediately look away.

“Not really,” he answered.

Martin smiled a little.

“Just talked.”

Minju studied them suspiciously but decided not to ask.

Yunah sat down beside her, and the conversation slowly picked up again.

Things weren’t completely fixed.

But when Martin asked Juhoon what he thought about the drink he’d ordered, Juhoon actually answered him.

And when Martin laughed at his response, Juhoon didn’t spend the next few minutes wondering whether he was laughing because he had to.

For now, that was enough.

────୨ৎ────

YUNJU POV:

A few minutes later, Minju leaned back in her seat, glancing toward the hallway at the back of the café.

She looked at Yunah.

“Hey, can you show me where the bathroom is?”

Yunah looked up.

“Yeah. Come on.”

The two girls got up and walked toward the back of the café.

For a little while, neither of them said anything. They walked past a few tables before Yunah finally spoke.

“Hey, Minju?”

Minju looked over.

“Yeah?”

Yunah hesitated.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

Yunah looked down at the floor for a moment before turning back to her.

“Why were you ignoring me on Thursday?”

Minju stopped walking. She hadn’t expected Yunah to bring that up.

Yunah stopped beside her.

“I mean, you barely talked to me that day. And then you weren’t at school on Friday, so I couldn’t really ask you about it.”

Minju looked down at her hands.

“I wasn’t ignoring you.”

Yunah raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Really?”

Minju hesitated.

“Maybe a little.”

Yunah gave her a small, confused smile.

“Did I do something wrong?”

Minju immediately looked up.

“No! You didn’t do anything.”

“Then what happened?”

Minju opened her mouth, but she wasn’t sure what to say.

She couldn’t exactly tell Yunah that seeing her with Moka had been bothering her.

That would be embarrassing.

Especially when she had no idea whether Yunah even liked her that way.

“Nothing happened,” Minju said quietly.

Yunah studied her face.

“Minju.”

“What?”

“You can tell me if something’s wrong.”

Minju looked away.

“I know.”

“Then why won’t you tell me?”

Minju let out a small sigh.

“Because it’s stupid.”

“I don’t think it is.”

“You might.”

Yunah shook her head.

“I won’t know until you tell me.”

Minju went quiet.

For a moment, she considered telling her everything.

About how she kept noticing Moka beside her. How she hated feeling jealous when she knew she had no reason to be. How she kept replaying their conversations in her head, wondering whether Yunah treated everyone the same way she treated her.

But she couldn’t bring herself to say any of it.

“I’ve just been overthinking things,” Minju admitted.

Yunah’s expression softened.

“About what?”

Minju looked at her.

“Just… stuff.”

Yunah waited, but Minju didn’t continue.

After a moment, Yunah nodded slowly.

“Okay.”

Minju glanced at her.

“You’re not mad?”

“Why would I be mad?”

“Because I was being weird.”

Yunah smiled faintly.

“I was a little confused, but I wasn’t mad.”

Minju looked down.

“Sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize.”

Yunah paused before adding, “I just thought maybe I’d done something to upset you.”

Minju’s chest tightened.

She hadn’t realized Yunah had been worrying about that.

“No,” Minju said quickly. “You didn’t.”

Yunah smiled a little.

“Okay. Good.”

They continued walking toward the bathroom.

Just before they reached the door, Yunah glanced at her again.

“Next time, can you just tell me if something’s bothering you?”

Minju looked at her.

“I’ll try.”

“Okay.”

Yunah smiled.

“And if you need space, that’s fine too. Just don’t make me guess what I did wrong.”

Minju felt a small pang of guilt.

“Yeah. I’m sorry.”

Yunah gently shook her head.

“It’s okay.”

For a moment, they stood there in silence.

Then Minju looked at her.

“Can I ask you something, too?”

“Of course.”

Minju hesitated.

“Are you and Moka really close?”

Yunah blinked, caught off guard by the question.

“Me and Moka?”

Minju nodded.

“Yeah.”

Yunah thought about it.

“I guess? We’re teammates, and we practice together a lot.”

“Oh.”

Minju immediately regretted asking.

Yunah tilted her head.

“Why?”

“No reason.”

Yunah looked at her suspiciously.

Before she could ask Minju anything else. She walked into the bathroom.

Once Minju was done they walked back to the booth.

Yunah wanted to ask Minju about her question but it was too late.

They were already at the both, in front of Martin and Juhoon. 

Just then, the server returned with their orders balanced on a tray.

“Alright, we have one matcha latte, one order of chocolate pancakes, one croissant, an iced vanilla latte, and an iced caramel latte.”

Yunah moved her menu aside to make room.

“Thank you!”

The server carefully placed the matcha latte in front of her, followed by Minju’s chocolate pancakes.

Martin reached for his croissant as the server set his iced caramel latte down beside him.

“Thank you,” he said.

Juhoon took his iced vanilla latte and moved it closer to himself.

“Here you go,” the server said before placing the remaining items on the table. “Enjoy!”

“Thank you!” Minju replied.

Once the server walked away, Minju immediately picked up her fork and cut into the pancakes.

“Finally.”

Yunah laughed.

“You act like you haven’t eaten in days.”

“I haven’t had chocolate pancakes in days.”

“That’s not the same thing.”

“It is to me.”

Martin shook his head as he took a bite of his croissant.

“You two are actually ridiculous.”

Minju pointed her fork at him.

“Nobody asked you.”

Martin raised his free hand.

“Okay, okay.”

Juhoon let out a quiet laugh before taking a sip of his drink.

Martin glanced at him.

“What?”

Juhoon looked up.

“Nothing.”

“You laughed.”

“Am I not allowed to laugh?”

“No, you are. I just haven’t heard you do it in a while.”

The comment made Juhoon pause.

Martin seemed to realize what he’d said, too. He looked down at his croissant and took another bite.

“Anyway,” he added, a little awkwardly, “is your drink good?”

Juhoon glanced at his cup.

“Yeah. It’s good.”

“Nice.”

A small smile tugged at Juhoon’s lips.

Across from them, Minju noticed the exchange but kept quiet.

She was just glad her brother seemed a little more relaxed.

Beside her, Yunah took a sip of her matcha before leaning closer.

“Hey, try this.”

Minju looked at her.

“Your matcha?”

“Yeah. I think you’d like it.”

Minju took the cup Yunah offered and tried a small sip.

She paused.

“Oh, wait. That’s actually really good.”

Yunah smiled proudly.

“See? I told you.”

Minju handed the cup back.

“Okay, maybe you have good taste.”

“Maybe?”

“Don’t push it.”

Yunah laughed, taking another sip.

Their shoulders brushed as Minju leaned back into the booth, and neither girl seemed to notice.

or perhaps neither wanted to make a big deal out of it.

For a little while, the four of them ate and talked about ordinary things: school, their weekend, and how much work everyone seemed to have lately.

The awkwardness hadn’t completely disappeared, but the table felt a little less tense than before.

And for the first time that day, Juhoon didn’t feel like he needed to find an excuse to leave.