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“Dude, if you don’t shut up, I’m kicking you out,” Yoohyeon hisses from her desk, where she’s hunched over a textbook.
Yubin rolls onto her stomach on Yoohyeon’s bed and pouts at her friend. “You’re way too nice to actually kick me out, though,” She counters.
Yoohyeon glances at her with sharp eyes. “I’ll call Dongie to kick you out for me, then,” She says before turning back to the textbook.
“Your girlfriend adores me,” Yubin points out with a smile as she turns onto her back again. “She would sympathize with my plight.”
“You’re being way too dramatic about this for it to be funny anymore,” Yoohyeon grumbles, flipping a page in the book.
Yubin heaves a sigh, deciding to ignore Yoohyeon’s grumbling in favor of staring at the ceiling and recalling the Halloween party from two days before.
She’d gone as Alfredo Linguini from Ratatouille, complete with a chef’s hat, a wooden spoon, and a plushie of Remi the rat.
Many people had gotten a good laugh at her costume and complimented her on it. Which had surprised Yubin a bit, considering they were mostly strangers to her.
About halfway through the party, Yubin had been seated on a couch in the living room, trying to keep track of Yoohyeon and her girlfriend in the crowded room, when a flash of blue caught her eye.
Someone had come dressed as Cinderella. Blonde hair and everything.
From there, Yubin really only remembers Cinderella. She’d approached the girl, offered arguably the worst pick-up-line in her repertoire, and was promptly laughed at.
But the laugh Cinderella let out wasn’t one of malice. It was jovial and bright, full of life.
As a slow song began to play, Yubin offered Cinderella her hand and politely asked the princess for a dance, to which the girl had agreed, hiding a giggle behind her hand.
True to form, once the clock struck midnight and the party started winding down, Cinderella vanished. She didn’t leave a glass slipper behind in her wake, however. Instead, she took Yubin’s plushie and something much more important.
“I swear to god,” Yoohyeon says, cutting into Yubin’s thoughts. “If you say that Cinderella stole your heart one more time, I’ll get Dongie to kick you out.”
Yubin blinks. Had she been speaking out loud that whole time?
“Yes, you still are,” Yoohyeon grumbles. “You had one dance with her. She couldn’t have stolen your heart.”
“But she did!” Yubin exclaims, sitting up on the bed. She turns to face Yoohyeon and pulls her legs in, sitting cross-legged on the mattress. “She took my heart, Yoohyeon. And I don’t even know her name!”
Yoohyeon groans and slams her textbook shut before spinning her chair to face Yubin. “If I help you find out what Cinderella’s name is, will you stop bothering me about it?”
“I mean, if you help me find her, I won’t have to keep bothering you about it, now will I?” Yubin replies with a cheeky grin.
Yoohyeon narrows her eyes and scowls at Yubin. “I hate you so much sometimes.”
“You love me,” Yubin counters and laughs when Yoohyeon flips her off and turns her chair back to face the desk.
“Let me ask Dongie if she knows. Dongie knows everyone,” Yoohyeon murmurs, pulling her phone from a desk drawer.
Yubin waits eagerly on the bed, watching Yoohyeon type out a message to Handong and send it off.
Yoohyeon glances at her as they wait for a reply. “What’ll you do when you find her?” She asks, eyeing Yubin suspiciously.
Yubin blinks and sits back, shrugging her shoulders. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead, honestly. What do you think I should do?”
Yoohyeon sighs with a small shake of her head. “You’re hopeless.”
“I am not!” Yubin argues, glaring at Yoohyeon with a frown. “I am not hopeless. I’ll… I’ll ask her out on a date!”
Yoohyeon rolls her eyes. “Sure you will,” She murmurs.
“What do you mean by that?” Yubin asks, frowning.
“You’re hopeless when it comes to talking to girls,” Yoohyeon supplies gently. She gives Yubin a small smile. “You only approached her at the party because you had some alcohol in your system.”
“I resent that statement,” Yubin declares firmly as she turns away from Yoohyeon and faces the wall. She frowns, crossing her arms over her chest. She’s not hopeless with girls. She loves girls. She loves talking to girls. She’s good at talking to girls.
“You’re not,” Yoohyeon says.
Yubin grits her teeth. Shit. She’s really got to get a handle on the whole speaking her thoughts out loud thing.
“Wow,” Yoohyeon says softly. “That’s convenient, isn’t it?”
“What?” Yubin asks, turning around to look at Yoohyeon.
“She’s Handong’s roommate,” Yoohyeon answers with a soft laugh. “Cinderella, I mean. She’s Dongie’s roommate.”
Yubin blinks and stares at Yoohyeon. “What’s her name? I need her name, Yoohyeon. I need the name of the princess who took my heart!”
“Stop being so dramatic!” Yoohyeon fires back with a scowl. “Jesus christ, if this doesn’t cement your status as a theater kid, I don’t know what the fuck will.”
“I resent that statement as well,” Yubin grumbles as she folds her arms over her chest.
“Yeah, well,” Yoohyeon says before promptly sticking her tongue out at Yubin and making a fart noise.
“I hate you,” Yubin seethes.
“Oh, do you? I guess you don’t want to know the girl’s name, then, right?” Yoohyeon asks with a cheeky grin. She locks her phone and tucks it back into the desk drawer, flipping open her textbook again.
“I love you,” Yubin says, immediately changing her tune. “I love you, Kim Yoohyeon. My bestest best friend in the whole entire world.”
Yoohyeon just hums, flipping another page in the textbook, a small smile pulling at the corners of her lips.
“Yoohyeon, please!” Yubin whines, clasping her hands together in front of her. “Don’t think I’m above begging,” She warns.
Yoohyeon doesn’t say anything, keeping her eyes on the textbook.
Yubin heaves a sigh and slides off the bed, getting on her knees behind Yoohyeon’s desk chair. “Please, Yoohyeon.”
Yoohyeon turns the chair slightly, her eyes widening at the sight of Yubin on her knees with her hands clasped in front of her. Her head snaps up when the door to the room creaks open.
Yubin doesn’t look over her shoulder at whoever’s just entered. She’s on a mission. She needs to know Cinderella’s name.
“Should I be concerned?” Handong asks from behind Yubin. “Is there something going on between the two of you that I haven’t been made aware of?”
Yoohyeon leaps up from her seat and skirts around Yubin, waving her hands in front of her, distressed. “No! There’s nothing! She’s just losing her damn mind, is all. I swear, Dongie. She’s just my friend, and I would never cheat on you! I swear, please, I would never-”
“Easy,” Handong cuts in. “Breathe, Yoohyeon. I was joking. I know you wouldn’t ever cheat on me. I’m sorry.”
Yubin pushes herself up from the floor and turns to face the couple.
Yoohyeon is leaning heavily into Handong’s side, her arms around the redhead’s waist. She glares at Yubin. “I hate you,” She grumbles.
“You’re a terrible liar,” Handong whispers, making Yoohyeon pout and hide her face in the redhead’s neck.
“Handong,” Yubin says, taking a step forward. She stops, thinking. If Handong is anything like Yoohyeon, she’ll take some convincing before she tells Yubin what she wants to know. She’ll have to get a little creative with her approach.
“I don’t like the look on your face,” Handong says, eyeing Yubin wearily.
“Oh, dearest Han Dong,” Yubin says in a dramatic voice, extending a hand toward the redhead. “Dearest, sweet Han Dong, I-”
“Her name is Lee Gahyeon,” Handong cuts in with a laugh. “No need to go all Shakespeare to get me to tell you. Just ask.”
Yubin drops her arms to her sides and pouts briefly before nodding her head. “Lee Gahyeon,” She muses softly.
“Dongie, can you please get her out of here?” Yoohyeon says not so quietly to Handong. “I’ve been trying to study, but she’s been bothering me for ages. I’ve barely gotten anything done.”
“Oh, poor baby,” Handong coos. “Yubin-”
“No need!” Yubin exclaims, pushing past the couple as she moves toward the door. “I have a quest! And now that I have a name, I can truly begin!”
“You have no idea where she is right now,” Yoohyeon points out.
Yubin deflates and heaves a sigh, sliding her shoes on. “Regardless, I’ll leave you to it. Good luck with your studies,” She says, pulling open the door.
“She hangs out at the cafe on Third,” Handong supplies helpfully with a grin.
Yubin grins at the redhead and nods. “Thank you!” She cries before hurrying out the door.
Yubin steps into the cafe and looks around, spotting Cinderella sitting at a table by the window. She shakes her head. Lee Gahyeon is her name, and she’s not a princess. At least not to the world. To Yubin, she is, and that isn’t going to change anytime soon.
She takes a step toward the table Gahyeon is sitting at before freezing up. What should she say? How should she introduce herself? Thoughts of how to approach run rampant in her mind, and she stands slightly off to the side of the cafe door, eyes unfocused as she thinks.
Yubin snaps back to herself when someone brushes past her on their way out of the cafe. Her eyes focus again, seeing Gahyeon looking at her curiously. She swallows and takes a deep breath before making her way over to the table.
Gahyeon watches her approach with cautious eyes, her eyebrows pulling together slightly.
Yubin comes to a stop by the table and opens her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. Gahyeon close up is even prettier than she had remembered. Maybe it’s the lighting. It had been pretty dark at the party, and here in the cafe, the lights are bright.
Gahyeon lifts an eyebrow. “Hello?” She asks with an awkward laugh.
Yubin shakes herself. “Ratatouille” is what comes out of her mouth. She blinks and slaps a hand over her mouth, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. Seriously?! The first thing you say is fucking ratatouille?!
Gahyeon blinks, her eyebrows furrowing for a second before her eyes widen in recognition. “From the party!” She exclaims.
Yubin blinks and then nods, dropping her hand from her face. Her cheeks still burn, but she’s feeling giddy now that Gahyeon has recognized her.
“I took your rat,” Gahyeon says with a laugh as she gestures to the seat across from her.
Yubin nods her head, taking the seat and setting her hands in her lap. She fiddles with them before smoothing her palms against her jeans, her hands sweaty.
“Did you track me down to ask for it back?” Gahyeon asks, tilting her head slightly to the side.
Yubin opens her mouth again to agree, just for conversation’s sake. “Pretty,” She says instead. Her eyes go wide, and she drops her gaze to the table as Gahyeon cackles.
“Because I’m pretty?” Gahyeon asks through her laughter. “I’m flattered,” She says once her laughter has faded. “You’re not too bad yourself, you know.”
Yubin snaps her head up, seeing the sly grin on Gahyeon’s face. She looks away again with a cough, her cheeks burning.
“Lee Gahyeon,” Gahyeon says, extending a hand over the table.
This is Yubin’s chance to flip the script. She shifts in the seat and takes Gahyeon’s hand in hers, turning it sideways and pulling it closer to press a kiss to the back of it. She looks up at Gahyeon, whose cheeks are now dusted with red. “It is a pleasure to finally learn your name, Princess.”
Gahyeon blinks and slowly retracts her hand, her cheeks red. She clears her throat softly and lets out a breath, laughing softly. “And you? Might I learn your name?”
“Lee Yubin, at your service,” Yubin says, dipping her head.
“Oh,” Gahyeon says, a smile in her tone.
Yubin lifts her head, narrowing her eyes at the grin on Gahyeon’s lips.
“We share the same last name already,” Gahyeon points out with a laugh. She lifts her left hand, turning it this way and that. “Yet, I’m not wearing a ring.”
Yubin stares at the girl across the table from her. Her cheeks burn, and her mind is completely blank. She doesn’t know what to say.
Gahyeon grins and leans her elbows on the table, cradling her face in her hands. “So, Lee Yubin,” She starts, tilting her head slightly. “How come it took you so long to come after me?”
Yubin blinks, seeing Gahyeon’s grin. “Well, I…” Wait, she can take control of this again. She’s sure of it. “You didn’t exactly leave a glass slipper behind, you know.”
Gahyeon hums. “Yeah, I wasn’t feeling the whole glass shoe thing. I wore my sneakers under the dress.”
Yubin lets out a soft laugh and smiles. “Practical,” She says.
“Gotta be ready for anything,” Gahyeon replies with a shrug of her shoulders. “But seriously,” She says, focusing her eyes on Yubin. “Two days?”
“To be fair, I didn’t know your name until an hour ago,” Yubin says with a sheepish smile. “I had to pester my best friend to ask her girlfriend about you.”
“Why?”
“Her girlfriend knows everyone,” Yubin answers. “Apparently, you’re her roommate.”
“Oh, Dongie?” Gahyeon asks with a smile. “Yeah, she knows everyone. So,” She says, looking at Yubin curiously. “What is it that you want? Do you want the rat back?”
Yubin swallows. She honestly hadn’t expected to get this far. “I-” Her brain is scrambled. Maybe Yoohyeon is right. Maybe Yubin is hopeless at talking to girls.
“I can give you the rat back,” Gahyeon starts as she shifts to grab a bag that’s hanging off the back of her chair. She takes out a wallet and lays a few bills on the table before moving her plate slightly to cover them. “But it’s back at my dorm.”
Yubin watches Gahyeon stand and stands as well. “That’s ok. You can just give him to Handong, and she can-”
“Walk me back?” Gahyeon cuts in, offering her hand to Yubin with a smile.
Yubin blinks, swallowing. “Y-yeah, ok,” She says, taking Gahyeon’s hand. She lets the girl lead her from the cafe and to her dorm building. The entire time, Gahyeon keeps hold of her hand, and Yubin just hopes her palm isn’t disgustingly sweaty.
Once they reach the building, Yubin carefully pulls her hand from Gahyeon’s. “Ok,” She says, slapping her hands against her legs awkwardly. “I’ll wait here, I guess.”
Gahyeon blinks at her before rolling her eyes. “Yeah, that’s fine, I suppose. But you could also come up?”
Yubin shakes her head and rocks back on her heels. “I don’t want to intrude.”
“I’m literally asking you to come up to my room with me, Yubin,” Gahyeon says firmly.
Yubin blinks, her cheeks burning with embarrassment again. “Oh,” She says softly. “I… I didn’t realize.”
“I know,” Gahyeon says with a soft laugh. “You don’t have to come up. I can go get it and bring it down.”
“Ok,” Yubin says, ducking her head as Gahyeon ascends the stairs to the building and disappears behind the door. Stupid. God, she’s so stupid. Yoohyeon is right. She’s useless when it comes to girls. She takes a seat on the steps and presses her face into her hands with a soft groan. Idiot.
A few minutes later, someone taps her shoulder, and Yubin looks up, seeing Gahyeon holding out the plushie. She stands and hesitates to take it from the girl. “I don’t actually care all that much about this,” She admits in a whisper.
Gahyeon chuckles. “Does that mean I can keep him?” She asks, hugging the plushie to her chest as she smiles at Yubin.
“Yeah,” Yubin says. “Sorry,” She adds. “For all this. You probably think I’m really weird. Which is understandable. Sorry again.” She moves around Gahyeon and takes a few steps before-
“Can I get your number before you go?” Gahyeon asks.
Yubin freezes, blinking as she stares at the grass. She turns slowly, looking at Gahyeon. “You want my number?”
“Yeah,” Gahyeon says, walking over. She smiles. “So we can keep talking.”
“You-” Yubin stops, pointing at herself with furrowed eyebrows. “You want to keep talking to me?”
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I?” Gahyeon asks with a laugh. “C’mon. Give me your number, and I’ll give you mine.” She digs her phone out of her pocket and unlocks it, tapping at the screen a few times before offering it to Yubin.
Yubin swallows and pulls her phone from her pocket. She unlocks it and opens the contacts app, pulling up a new contact. She extends her phone to Gahyeon, taking the girl’s phone and putting her number in. She hesitates on the name but decides to just put Lee Yubin.
Gahyeon grins and passes Yubin her phone back before accepting her own. She frowns at the screen and shakes her head, tapping at the device.
Yubin glances down at the screen, seeing Gahyeon’s number. The name isn’t Gahyeon, though. It’s ‘Princess’. She bites back a grin and saves the contact, leaving the name as it is.
“There,” Gahyeon says, showing Yubin her phone. It’s got her contact displayed, but instead of Lee Yubin, it says ‘Wife.’
Yubin blinks at the screen and looks at Gahyeon with hot cheeks. “Wife?” She asks, her voice a whisper.
Gahyeon hums, locking her phone and shoving it back into her pocket. “Yep,” She says, turning to walk back to her dorm building. “We share the same last name! We’re married!” She says over her shoulders as she climbs the steps.
Yubin stares after her, letting out a breathless laugh as Gahyeon turns at the top of the steps and waves to her. She waves back, going still when Gahyeon lifts her hand to her lips and kisses her fingertips. She swallows as Gahyeon blows the kiss to her and lunges to snatch it from the air, hearing Gahyeon laugh.
“I’ll talk to you soon, wife!” Gahyeon exclaims, stepping backward toward the building.
“Talk to you soon, Princess!” Yubin calls with a laugh. She waits for Gahyeon to disappear into the building before she turns and sprints down the sidewalk toward her own dorm. She rockets up the steps and takes the stairs two at a time before skidding to a stop outside Yoohyeon’s dorm room.
“Yoohyeon!” She yells, pounding her fist against the door. “Yoohyeon, answer the door! I think I might have a girlfriend now!”
The door opens, and Yoohyeon glares out at her. “Good for you. Please leave.”
Yubin blinks, tilting her head slightly. “Aren’t you gonna let me in?” She asks, breathless from all the running she just did.
“No,” Yoohyeon hisses. “I’m trying to study, and Dongie’s trying to nap. I’m glad you have a girlfriend now, but if I don’t pass this test, I will fail.”
Yubin purses her lips. “Sorry,” She says, stepping back from the door.
Yoohyeon groans and reaches forward, dragging Yubin into the dorm room. “You can stay, but only if you’re quiet. And you help me study.”
Yubin grins and nods her head as she kicks her shoes off. “What are you studying?”
“The same thing I’ve been studying for the past several weeks,” Yoohyeon fires back, clearly not in the mood.
“Right, sorry,” Yubin says, following Yoohyeon over to her desk.
Handong is asleep in Yoohyeon’s bed, so Yubin just takes a seat beside Yoohyeon, using a footstool as a chair. She can’t see the desktop, but Yoohyeon doesn’t really seem to need her help with anything, so Yubin doesn’t mention it.
Her phone buzzes in her pocket, and she pulls it out after glancing at Yoohyeon.
Princess
Wanna go see a movie with me this weekend?
Wife
Sure. Could this be considered our first date?
Princess
I thought we were already married.
Wife
You’re not gonna let that joke go, are you?
Princess
Joke? You think our marriage is a joke, Lee Yubin?!?! (jkjk)
Wife
Maybe we should get a divorce. :/
Princess
Already?!
Wife
Jkjk
Princess
So, movie?
Wife
I’m in. Whatever you want to see, I’m there.
Princess
Cool. See you this weekend, then.
Yubin can’t keep the grin off her face, and she locks her phone, glancing up at Yoohyeon.
Yoohyeon must sense Yubin’s eyes on her because she sighs and looks over at the girl. “What?” She asks, her voice a whisper to not disturb her slumbering girlfriend.
“I have a date this weekend,” Yubin whispers back, her cheeks hurting from smiling so much.
Yoohyeon’s eyes soften, and she reaches down to pat Yubin’s head. “Good for you.”