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Jinsol had already poked the back of Kyujin’s hoodie with her pen cap more times than she could count. She lowered her voice.
“Hey. How long are you planning to hold it in?”
Kyujin whipped around to glare at her. Her cheeks flushed red before she hurriedly turned back and hid half her face behind the upright textbook.
“Leave me alone.”
The bell for the break rang just in time to save her. She shot up from her seat, hoping to escape Jinsol, but Jinsol grabbed the hood of her sweatshirt.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Jinsol tugged her back. “Is it really that hard to admit you like Jiwoo? You start stuttering every time you see her.”
Kyujin brushed Jinsol’s hand away, avoiding her eyes, though her voice was still stubborn.
“I just… just think she’s cute, that’s all.”
“Oh please.” Jinsol rolled her eyes. “Your feelings are written all over your face. Even Haewon asked me if you liked Jiwoo.”
“What? Even Haewon noticed?” Kyujin panicked instantly and grabbed Jinsol’s arm. “Then… what about Jiwoo? She… does she…”
“She probably has no idea.” Jinsol shrugged. “By the time she figures it out on her own, you’ll be buried six feet under.”
Kyujin’s shoulders drooped. “Then what do I do… Just tell her I like her? I’d drop dead on the spot.”
Jinsol rested her chin on her hand, scanned the room, and then smirked.
“If you can’t say it straight, write a letter.”
“Write… what?”
“A love letter. Put everything you’re too scared to say into it and slip it to her. You won’t have to face her directly and she’ll still know how you feel. Sound good?”
“But… where would I even put it? If I hand it to her, that’s just confessing in person…”
“Use your brain. Put it in her locker. I know the password. She told me last time when I helped her get her books out. I’ll slip it in for you. No one will know.”
The suggestion hit Kyujin like a booster shot.
“Okay. Let’s do that. I’ll write it tonight.”
For the next two days, Kyujin seemed possessed. Whenever she had a moment, she bent over her desk scribbling, then ripping, then writing again, trying to make every word perfect. On the third morning, she finally placed a neatly rewritten pastel blue envelope, lightly scented into Jinsol’s hands.
“Don’t worry. Leave it to me.” Jinsol thumped her chest and tucked the letter safely into a compartment in her bag.
At lunch, when most students were in the cafeteria and the hallways were empty, she slipped toward the second-year lockers. She found Jiwoo’s, looked around, entered the password, and the lock clicked open.
She pulled out the blue envelope and set it right on top of the books where Jiwoo would see it instantly. After closing the locker carefully, she turned away feeling triumphant for completing her mission.
Just then, the next classroom’s door opened. A few girls stepped out laughing, catching Jinsol leaving Jiwoo’s locker.
“Hey, did Bae Jinsol just… mess with Kim Jiwoo’s locker?” One girl looked from Jinsol’s retreating back to the locker.
“I think so… What was she doing?”
“I don’t know… unless she was…”
They exchanged looks and began whispering excitedly.
Jinsol knew nothing about the rumors starting to spread. She walked away feeling pleased with herself for helping a friend.
By the first class after lunch, Jinsol could feel something was off. People were pointing and whispering behind her back. She frowned but didn’t think much of it, until Jiwoo, face red and flustered, approached her, clutching the pale blue envelope, voice barely above a whisper:
“Jinsol… this… did you put this in my locker?”
Jinsol quickly pulled Jiwoo aside.
“You already read it?”
“Y-yeah…” Jiwoo grew even redder. “But… I… about that…”
Seeing her flustered expression, Jinsol assumed she was shy. Wanting to help Kyujin, she patted her shoulder.
“It took them a lot of courage to write this… Think about it carefully.”
But to Jiwoo, the words sounded like encouragement after Jinsol herself had confessed. Jiwoo stared at her, opened her mouth, then said nothing and ran away still clutching the letter.
The misunderstanding only deepened.
“Look! Jiwoo went to find Jinsol!”
“She even has the letter! Her face is so red!”
“So it really was from Jinsol?”
“Whoa… I didn’t expect that…”
The whispers grew louder. Only then did Jinsol realize something was wrong. She grabbed a passing girl.
“What’s everyone talking about?”
“Oh come on.” The girl grinned. “The whole school knows you wrote a love letter to Jiwoo and stuck it in her locker.”
Jinsol felt lightning strike her.
“Wha… what? I didn’t write it.”
“Someone saw you sneaking away from her locker. If it wasn’t you, then who?”
Jinsol couldn’t explain. She wanted to, but remembered her promise to keep Kyujin’s secret. She could only repeat dryly,
“It wasn’t me. It’s a misunderstanding.”
But rumors spread faster than truth and they reached Yoona.
That afternoon in the library, Yoona was quietly reading when two girls whispered nearby about “Jinsol confessing to Jiwoo.” Yoona’s fingers froze on the page.
Jinsol… likes Jiwoo? Wrote her a love letter?
She remembered how close they seemed. Jinsol always teased Jiwoo, always smiled with those crescent-moon eyes, always warm and kind to everyone…
Then what about the intimate gestures meant for her? The moments that felt special?
Were they just part of how Jinsol treated everyone?
Yoona closed her book and left the library, feeling her chest tighten with a mix of bitterness and frustration.
Meanwhile, after failing to clear the misunderstanding, Jinsol stormed off to find Yoona. She ran to the room Yoona often used and saw her by the window.
“Yoona!” she gasped, rushing over.
Yoona didn’t look up or respond, just flipped the page in her book.
Jinsol knew she was in trouble. She moved closer, trying to take Yoona’s hand, but Yoona pulled away.
“Yoona, listen… that love letter was a misunderstanding.” Jinsol spoke quickly. “It wasn’t me. It was…”
Her words caught in her throat. She had promised Kyujin to keep it a secret.
“It was what?” Yoona finally looked at her.
Jinsol scratched her head in frustration. “It just wasn’t me. The person I like is… is…”
With Yoona’s cold stare on her, the confession stuck in her throat.
Seeing her hesitation, Yoona’s disappointment deepened. She forced a smile.
“You don’t need to explain. Whoever you like is your business.”
She stood up to leave.
“Yoona!” Jinsol panicked and grabbed her wrist. “Don’t be like this… You know how I—”
“Know what?” Yoona snapped softly. “That you cling to everyone? That you smile at anyone who looks your way?”
“No, that’s not it…”
“Bae Jinsol, don’t bother me until you figure out what you really want.”
She pulled her hand away and walked out without turning back.
Jinsol stared after her, then slammed her fist on the desk. She felt like the biggest fool alive.
The other two weren’t doing much better.
Jiwoo clutched the letter, its carefully chosen words and sincere feelings leaving her heart in knots. Was it from Jinsol? But she always considered Jinsol a close friend… and she’d always suspected something was going on between Jinsol and Yoona. Yet the letter had indeed been placed by Jinsol, who had also offered encouragement…
Kyujin hid in a corner, witnessing Jinsol tormented by rumors and seeing Yoona’s sour mood. Guilt and panic filled her heart. Everything had gone wrong because of her.
Over the next few days, Jinsol tried multiple times to talk to Yoona, but she avoided her every time. When they passed in the hallway, Yoona walked right by her as if she were invisible.
Jinsol had never been this frustrated. Only now did she realize how important Yoona was to her. She couldn’t take it anymore.
Jiwoo finally gathered her courage and approached Jinsol again. This time she was serious.
“Jinsol, about the letter… we should talk. I’ve thought about it, and I… I think maybe I…”
“Stop!” Jinsol cut in immediately. “Jiwoo, that letter is one thousand percent not from me.”
“Then who?” Jiwoo asked.
Jinsol clenched her teeth, silently apologizing to Kyujin. If she didn’t clarify, it would get worse. She leaned in.
“It was Kyujin. She’s liked you for a long time but didn’t dare say anything. I only helped her put the letter in. I didn’t expect it to cause such a mess.”
Jiwoo froze. “Kyujin… wrote it?”
Her face warmed. This feeling was different from the panic she felt before. This time, sweetness bloomed in her chest.
“So… the person you like is Yoona, right?” Jiwoo asked.
“Yeah. I like her. Only her.” Jinsol nodded.
With the misunderstanding cleared, both let out a sigh of relief. Jinsol decided she must immediately tell Yoona everything.
She heard that Yoona was studying alone in an empty classroom after school and ran straight there.
Inside, Yoona was writing something. The sunset cast a warm glow over her. Jinsol approached quietly and sat beside her. Yoona’s pen paused, body stiffening slightly without looking up.
“Yoona,” Jinsol said gently. “I’m sorry.”
No answer.
“That love letter was from Kyujin to Jiwoo,” Jinsol explained in one breath. “Kyujin didn’t have the courage to give it herself. I knew Jiwoo’s locker code, so I helped her put it in. Someone saw me and the rumor spread. I didn’t think far enough, and it hurt you. That’s my fault.”
Yoona stayed silent.
Jinsol’s heart twisted. She reached under the desk and hooked her pinky around Yoona’s, giving it a small shake.
“Yoona… please don’t be mad anymore. I’ve been miserable these past few days.”
Her voice wavered, sounding pitiful.
Yoona’s hardened heart finally softened. She wasn’t enjoying the cold war either. Hearing Jinsol’s trembling voice and feeling her little plea through their pinkies made the last of her resistance crumble. She finally lifted her head. Her eyes were a little red, but no longer cold.
“Why didn’t you explain earlier?”
“I promised Kyujin I’d keep it a secret…” Seeing Yoona talk to her again, Jinsol immediately edged closer, placing her whole hand over Yoona’s. “And you walked off before I could finish…”
Yoona saw Jinsol’s pleading expression. Her anger completely melted, leaving only resignation. She reversed their hands, gently scratching the palm of Jinsol’s hand with her fingertips.
“Dummy. Don’t ever do that again.”
“Never! Never again!” Jinsol promised immediately, shaking her head. “From now on, I’ll only help you deliver love letters, no, no, not that, I’ll only ever write love letters for you!”
Yoona couldn’t help laughing. “Who even wants your cheesy letters?”
“Then what do you want? I’ll give you anything.” Jinsol leaned in until the tip of her nose almost touched Yoona’s cheek.
Yoona’s ears flushed from the sudden closeness but she didn’t push her away, only whispered. “Stop leaning so close. It’s hot.”
“No.” Jinsol wrapped her arms around her waist and rested her chin on Yoona’s shoulder. “Yoona, I like you. I like you so much.”
The direct words made Yoona blush. “I know.”
“That’s it?” Jinsol huffed and lifted her head. Seeing Yoona’s burning ears, she couldn’t resist planting a kiss there. “What about you? Do you like me?”
Yoona trembled. The place she was kissed felt like fire. Too embarrassed, she pushed Jinsol’s face away.
“If I didn’t like you, why would I even struggle with you here…”
Jinsol’s heart bloomed instantly. She hugged Yoona tightly, planting a loud kiss on her cheek. “Hehe, my Yoona is the best.”
“Yah! Bae Jinsol! We are still in classroom!” Yoona smacked her arm, flustered.
“No one’s here~” Jinsol teased, refusing to let go.
Meanwhile, Jiwoo stopped Kyujin after school when she tried to sneak away. Kyujin’s face turned bright red the moment she saw her and she tried to escape, but Jiwoo grabbed her backpack strap.
“I… I read the letter. Jinsol already explained everything to me,” Jiwoo said softly. “Thank you. It was… really pretty.”
Kyujin snapped her head up, startled and anxious. Seeing her reaction only made Jiwoo find her even cuter. She took Kyujin’s hand shyly.
“I… I think you’re really cute too. Want to… go to the amusement park this weekend together?”
Kyujin’s eyes widened. Joy crashed over her like a wave and she nodded so hard it looked painful.
“Sure! Yes!”
A chaos caused by one love letter finally ended in the sweetest way possible.