Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

3rd Person

"Hey!" A voice called out quietly, snapping Yunjin out of her trance. Looking up from her phone, she took out an airpod and glanced to the side, a smile automatically lighting up her face once she spotted the familiar figure of her friend, Aeri, coming her way.

"What's up?" Yunjin asked, keeping a quiet tone and watching the girl take a seat beside her. Aeri simply shook her head and took the spot beside the girl, "Gosh.. you won't believe what happened."

Yunjin made a face, giving her best friend a questioning look, "What? Did Yizhou finally look your way?" She jokingly said, laughing to herself. However, when she saw the look on Aeri's face, she stopped for a second.

"Wait- seriously?" She repeated, giving Aeri a crazy look, but the Japanese only nodded excitedly, "Can you believe it?" Aeri said happily, smacking Yunjin's shoulder a couple of times.

"Girl, that's crazyy," Yunjin smiled, hitting Aeri back excitedly. Soon, Aeri looked like she remembered something and stopped, giving Yunjin a sly look.

"And you know what? She actually invited me to her table.." Aeri started, the words making Yunjin give her a surprised look.

"And you-know-who is there," Aeri teased, nudging her best friend playfully. Yunjin made a face, shaking her head, "Stop teasing me, bruh," she said, disregarding Aeri's words.

Aeri only laughed, "Chill boi, this could be your chance. Heck.. you've been crushing on Chaewon for a good while now, and as your best friend -" Aeri paused to motion to herself before continuing, "- I think you should finally make a move and talk to the girl," She concluded, giving Yunjin a firm look. It also didn't help much given the fact that Aeri was basically friends with Chaewon.

"But -"
"No buts," Aeri intervened, flicking Yunjin's forehead lightly, "You've never, ever made a move on anyone, and I'm tired of seeing my bestie not have anyone," She sighed dramatically.

Yunjin rolled her eyes, "Why are you acting like being single is bad?" She scoffed, leaning back into her seat. She didn't see Aeri's logic... at all. And to that, Aeri rose a brow, "I'm not saying it is - but you've been single since birth. We're juniors for goodness sake," she retorted, moving her hands for emphasis.

At that, Yunjin went quiet. It was true. Sure, she'd had occasional crushes here and there, but never anything serious. She never actually had the courage to admit to any sort of feelings she's had before. However, she was content with life. Sure, she had moments where she wanted to have someone she could hold hands with, someone she could treat specially, someone who she could say she was in love with. But even then, she didn't complain about being single, even when it seemed like everyone around them had their someone.

"Besides, I already said I was going to bring a friend because 'I'm shy'," Aeri added as if it were of importance.

Yunjin let out a slight laugh at her friends attempt, but eventually, it turned into a sigh, "Alright... but don't expect me to talk."

Aeri let out a laugh, "I know you won't," she patted Yunjin's shoulder. "But maybe you'll do so... you never know?" Aeri shrugged.

"Don't be delusional," Yunjin said back, giving Aeri a playful side eye.

"Whatever, bruh, let's just get going. Breakfast starts in 4 minutes," Aeri said instead, getting up from the chair, trying not to make it screech in order to not disturb the quietness of the library.

"Fine..." Yunjin sighed, doing the same. She didn't know why she agreed. It was probably because she felt bad for Aeri going alone. Sure, the girl was sociable, but not so much around people who made her nervous... and needless to say, Yizhou was a good example of someone who did just that.

As the two walked out of the library, Yunjin felt herself collide with someone else. It wasn't big, but Yunjin and the other person had to take a step back. She honestly blamed it on the stupid walls because they were thick, and anytime anyone would exit a classroom, they'd bump into someone who was walking along the hall. It's happened a select few times to Yunjin, but this time, she felt her face flush with embarrassment when she saw who she had bumped into.

"I'm sorry," Yunjin apologized quietly, glancing at the girl.

"My bad." The girl said with hardly any emotion, but her gaze was hard on Yunjin, which only made the latter self-conscious in return. Yunjin could tell she was 100% lying, but she wasn't going to say that aloud. Speaking of... Yunjin realized she had never seen the girl, and after exchanging a slight look with Aeri, the two concluded she must be new.

"Oh, hi Aeri!" The girl beside the one who bumped into Yunjin spoke. Aeri glanced from Yunjin to the new girl to the other girl. She almost wanted to let out a laugh at how quiet Yunjin became as the former looked between the new girl and a certain someone.

"Hi, Chaewon," Aeri replied instead, waving at the short haired girl politely.

Chaewon smiled briefly, waving back, then clearing her throat, "Guys, meet Kazuha. She's just transferred from Japan," she said, introducing the new girl to the two girls.

Both Yunjin and Aeri looked at the girl before Yunjin gave a hesitant smile only to be met by a blank face once again while Aeri just waved. What Yunjin was more shocked about was that Chaewon was basically talking to her - rather, her and Aeri as a collective - but still, that counted... right?

Eventually, Kazuha noticed the looks the three were giving her, and she finally said something else. "Hello." Was all she said, keeping it short. Honestly, Yunjin found her voice somewhat soothing - a huge contrast to her clear personality that was anything but inviting.

"Well, since we're all here, let's go to breakfast together. Yizhou said she invited you," Chaewon smiled again, clearing her throat after the awkward moment.

"Right.." Aeri blinked, nudging Yunjin to snap her out of her trance. Aeri had noticed the way her friend seemed lost, so she decided to help.

Yunjin went back to her reserved self and instead walked beside Aeri silently, only bothering to listen as Chaewon and Aeri talked about basic things like their classes.

One thing Yunjin didn't like was that she barely ever got to steal glances in Chaewon's direction. Their classes were completely different because of their intellectual status - Aeri and Chaewon had plenty of classes together while Yunjin was stuck in boring, rigorous ones all day long. That's why Yunjin loved passing period - it was the one time she ever got to look Chaewon's way, even if she never made a move to actually befriend her.

"Hi guys," a voice said happily as the four entered the cafeteria and walked towards Chaewon's usual table. It was no surprise that the short haired girl had a friend group - all popular at that.

The group consisted of Chaewon, Sakura, Yeji, Jisu, Yuna, and Yizhou. Yunjin didn't doubt that Kazuha would become a new addition soon.

"Hello.." Yunjin said quietly while Aeri greeted everyone happily. For someone who said she was 'shy', Aeri sure didn't seem like it, and that made Yunjin laugh mentally.

"You're Yunjin, right?" Sakura glanced at Yunjin, her eyes simply studying the girl. Everyone kinda watched, waiting for Yunjin to respond.

"Yeah.." Yunjin nodded, glancing away awkwardly and taking the vacant spot next to Aeri, who, of course, was sitting beside Yizhou.

Thankfully, the attention was taken off Yunjin when the girls started talking to Kazuha instead. It was clear they had all already met her since they were more focused on asking questions about her. While everyone was busy talking to Kazuha, Yunjin noticed Aeri and Yizhou talking among themselves, making her feel awkward. Not because she cared that Aeri was talking to the Chinese, but because she realized there wasn't exactly a place for her. She wasn't part of the group - Aeri wasn't either, but she was talking to Yizhou anyway. Not only that, but she would've rather been in the library or even sitting with her and Aeri's usual group.

She almost forgot that Chaewon was right there, too. She remembered Aeri's words about making a move... but to her, that didn't exactly seem like much of an option... especially since the girl was chatting it up with Kazuha and the others.

"Does any one of you know where this room is?" The same bored voice asked, pulling Yunjin out of her trance. She had been staring at the table blankly, trying to think of ways to escape.

She glanced up, watching as the girls looked over Kazuha's schedule. It ended with them all shaking their heads, saying sympathetic sorrys. Eventually, the paper ended up in Aeri's hands, and as she looked, she glanced up to Kazuha, then towards Yunjin.

"Yunjin has that class," Aeri announced, making Yunjin glance at her rather quickly. Everyone exchanged looks, "Really? You're in Precalc?" Some asked. The question sort of offended Yunjin, but then she remembered she was technically in a senior class as a junior.

"Yes..." She confirmed quietly, taking the schedule Aeri handed her. It didn't take long for her to realize she had the same schedule as Kazuha, except with a few exeptions of their electives. At least it wasn't a copy and paste from her own.

"Woah, you must be pretty smart," Chaewon's voice sounded, making Yunjin blank momentarily. Just as Yunjin was about to reply, a different voice replied - of course, Yunjin was already starting to recognize it.

"It's actually an easy class," the voice said. Yunjin's gaze slowly shifted to Kazuha, studying the girl for a few seconds before nodding slowly. Yunjin didn't doubt the girl was intelligent, not for a single bit. The aura just flowed off her being, even if she looked the complete opposite of a nerd - and even more than the stereotypical anybody. If Yunjin were to choose one word, it'd be sophisticated. The difference in styles between Kazuha and Yunjin was also quite obvious, especially since Yunjin sported glasses, which made her look more like a nerd.

Yunjin also didn't mean to feel irked.. but she couldn't help it. Something told her that she and Kazuha wouldn't be getting along all too well. Whether it be because of the girl's borderline condensending gaze or her natural way of being, something inside Yunjin said Kazuha didn't exactly like her.

Of course, Yunjin wasn't the type to say anything because of it, more so something so irrelevant like a simple dislike. Instead, Yunjin ended up agreeing with the girl, "It is."

"Well, it looks like we found our valedictorian and salutatorian!" Jisu jokingly said, making the others join and laugh a bit. However, Kazuha and Yunjin didn't laugh and had their own reactions. Even if Kazuha hadn't made an obvious reaction, Yunjin was able to tell she didn't like the joke.

"Well, we're gonna have to go for now," Chaewon announced, the other girls nodding and preparing to leave - except for Yizhou, who stayed seated and waved her friends bye. Of course, she was talking to Aeri after all.

"Since Yunjin is the only one that knows where it is, maybe she can walk you there?" Yizhou suggested, glancing at Kazuha. Aeri only nodded, "Don't worry, she doesn't bite," she added playfully, to which Yunjin only side eyed her.

Yunjin glanced toward Kazuha, seeing the girl eye her over before eventually speaking. "I suppose that's a good idea.." Kazuha said, and Yunjin could tell she didn't want to say it. Yunjin was starting to think that maybe having bumped into her had set them off on the wrong foot.

Instead, Yunjin nodded, "We should get going then. That way, you can talk to Mr. Kim before everyone comes in," she said, glancing away from Kazuha and standing up, slipping her backpack on.

"Bye."
"Bye, guys."

The two said in almost the same tone as they began walking away from Yizhou and Aeri. As they walked, Yunjin was silently asking herself what she did to make Kazuha upset even when they barely met.

It was a clearly awkward interaction because of the mix of closeness and distance between the two, and it didn't help that Kazuha looked so done as they walked down the halls. Yunjin could only keep quiet and continue leading the two of them through the school as they made their way to class.

It could be worse, Yunjin thought, shaking off her thoughts as they continued walking.

Little did she know, it'd get way worse. Or better.

[Wattpad
Written: May 3, 2025.
Published: May 28, 2025.]

[AO3
Published: November 27, 2025.]

Chapter Text

3rd Person

"Kazuha, feel free to sit beside Yunjin. She's a wonderful student, and I'm sure you'd prefer sitting beside her in case you need anything."

Yunjin looked up from her desk to glance toward Mr. Kim and Kazuha. She'd been listening to their conversation while doodling in the corner of her notebook, but she hadn't expected him to suggest Kazuha to sit beside her.

She studied Kazuha's facial expression - from the limited view she had - and even then, Yunjin could tell the Japanese didn't seem too into the idea. But of course, she wasn't the type to disregard a teacher's word, so she just nodded, "Thank you, sir," she said respectfully. And with that, Kazuha bid Mr. Kim a quick bye before starting toward Yunjin's direction.

As soon as she caught the girl walking over, Yunjin quickly averted her gaze back to her desk, her hand gripping her pen a bit tighter as she felt Kazuha take the seat beside her. Guess her seatmate would have to sit elsewhere now... #Justiceforsomi

The two sat in silence for the time being - class didn't start until another 5 minutes. Yunjin was drawing little stick people in the back of her notebook while Kazuha sat silently with her hand supporting her jaw, her eyes glancing toward Yunjin and watching as she drew funny looking.. 'people'. The Japanese held back a grimace before rolling her eyes, already done with everything and anything.

Once the bell rang, everyone began piling in. Then, a blonde girl approached Yunjin, giving her a questioning look, "Uhh... what's going on?" The girl asked in English.

Yunjin glanced up, noticing Somi standing very confused. "Mr. Kim told her to sit beside me... idunno why, but I guess you're gonna have to sit beside your baeness Jeno now," Yunjin let out a quiet laugh which made Somi groan at her words and Kazuha to cast a quick side eye before turning away.

"Boyyy get out," Somi rolled her eyes jokingly, "Acting like Yeojun isn't your fine shyt," She said, laughing this time. Yunjin only glared at her, "Alright pal, play times over.. go sit with your boyfriend now," She motioned toward Jeno.

Somi just laughed, "I can't, you're so funny, Jen," She hit Yunjin's shoulder lightly before waving like a teacher and walking off to her new seat.

Once she was gone, Kazuha only glanced at Yunjin once again. She stared at her slightly before speaking up, "You speak English?" She asked after a bit, taking Yunjin by surprise. She hadn't expected the girl to actually speak to her.

"Yea, I lived in the U.S. for some time," Yunjin replied casually. Kazuha didn't reply, not even a single nod of acknowledgment, and instead just looked away once again. Yunjin noticed but just looked away as well, keeping her mouth sealed shut.

Finally, Mr. Kim gestured for everyone to settle down before beginning his lesson. As he did so, a flicker of hesitation passed through Yunjin's eyes. Oh my gosh.. she thought to herself, sneaking a tiny glance in Kazuha's direction. How could I forget a dang pencil... Yunjin mentally beat herself up. She tried to check in her backpack just in case she had a spare laying around, but of course, she didn't.

The latter bit her lips in contemplation, not sure if she should: A) Conquer her fear of Kazuha and ask the girl for a pencil or B) Stay quiet and just use a pen, not being able to help even a tiny mistake.

Eventually, Yunjin began to turn her head toward the Japanese...

"Excuse me, do you have a-"
"Yes."

Yunjin's brows furrowed slightly, "But I didn't get to finish..."

"You didn't have to," Kazuha replied, not glancing at her before sliding over the pencil she had been holding in her hand just seconds before, "Here."

Yunjin stared at her, not believing that Kazuha was being somewhat nice to her. Eventually, she cleared her throat, "Thank you.." she mumbled quietly, taking the pencil. In response, the other only hummed - not very enthusiastically at that. As much as Yunjin didn't want to admit it, she was actually grateful the girl had given her a pencil... even if the interaction had been insanely awkward, especially given the slight air of tension around them.

The two continued sitting in silence after that, the class busy listening to Mr. Kim as he taught the lesson. Once he was done, everyone began working on their assignment - including Yunjin and Kazuha.

As the two worked on their own, Yunjin felt like she was being watched but even as her eyes darted around the room, she couldn't spot anyone in particular. Suddenly, a voice beside her made her flinch slightly.

"That girl from earlier, is she your friend?" Kazuha's now recognizable voice asked, still in the same uninterested tone as she talked. Yunjin glanced at her, yet again inwardly surprised the girl was talking to her again. She couldn't tell if she was doing it out of pity or not, but she assumed so because of her bored tone.

"Yea, she is. We're not super close or anything but we usually talk during this class," Yunjin replied in a neutral tone. Kazuha watched her as she talked, actually nodding this time before turning away once again.

She's definitely... something, Yunjin thought to herself before glancing away as well, going back to her assignment. By now she was starting to accept that the Japanese was not like most people - mainly because of how she talked and then ignored her right after.

Still, the two continued that way for the rest of class.

By the time lunch came around, Yunjin was happy to get to leave class. Especially because in most, the teachers would tell Kazuha to sit beside her, much like Mr. Kim had done. Apparently, they thought Yunjin was Kazuha's guide or something of the sort... so in every class, Kazuha would sit beside Yunjin, the two barely talking except for the interaction in Precalc.

As they packed up to go to lunch, Yunjin cleared her throat casually, glancing at Kazuha, "Do you remember where the cafeteria is?" She asked, trying to be polite and not sound like she was calling Kazuha dumb.

Still, the girl only gave Yunjin a side eye without much expression, "I'm not stupid," she replied blankly, tearing her eyes away from the Korean before standing up. Yunjin watched with a small frown as the latter pushed in her chair before walking out the classroom.

"I'm sorry..." Yunjin muttered to herself, letting out a tired sigh before doing the same. Quickly, she made her way toward the cafeteria, ready to just sit down and have the one-time reunion with her friend group since they didn't share any classes.

"Jenniferrrr!" Ryujin's loud ahh voice greeted Yunjin as she walked towards their table, everyone from the group already sitting down.

"Hey guys," Yunjin made a peace sign, setting her backpack on the floor beside she sat down as well.

"I heard you're a guide," Chaeryeong spoke up, the group looking at Yunjin with curiosity - except for Aeri.

Before Yunjin could talk, Aeri spoke for her, "Yeah, she's been helping out a Japanese girl named Kazuha," she smiled, patting Yunjin's shoulder teasingly.

"Oh shoott," Eunchae and Minjeong made a face. "Is she pretty?" Ryujin asked consequently.

Yunjin sighed, rubbing her temple before looking at her friends again.

"First of all: No; I'm not her 'guide' - I just took her to our first class, and everyone thinks I'm her now.. and yes, she is pretty - but don't try to woo her, okay?" Yunjin explained, finishing by giving Ryujin a pointed look.

"Woahhh, you guys know I'm loyal to myself," Ryujin shook her head, her hands making a heart and pointing to herself. Eunchae only side eyed her, "Girl gtfo😭"

Instead, Minjeong and Aeri gave each other looks. "Why shouldn't someone woo her though?" Aeri asked, raising a brow as she looked at Yunjin. "Yeah, do you like her or something?" Minjeong asked right after.

The question only erupted 'oohs' from the table, Chaeryeong reached over to nudge Yunjin, "Finally found someone other than Chaewon cute?" She joked.

Yunjin groaned to herself, covering her face and finding the energy to not crash out in any second. Finally, she sighed and looked at her friends.

"No. I don't like her - but I've already been around her enough to know that she isn't someone you try to woo. I mean, she's just so... blank, for starters," Yunjin explained, glancing toward Aeri.

"I mean, you remember how emotionless she was during breakfast. Even when I bumped into her and apologized, she sounded so uninterested it was crazy."

Aeri only nodded, "Yeah, that is true.." she shrugged, "Maybe that's how she is."

"Without a doubt. But at least she has her nice moments," Yunjin nodded as well, the conversation finally shifting into something more normal. After that, the table found themselves laughing as they ate.

Meanwhile, Kazuha had finally sat down with Chaewon and her group.

"So.. how have your classes been so far?" Yizhou asked, everyone turning to glance Kazuha's way. Kazuha looked up, taking a bite of her food calmly before replying.

"Everything's been easy. Nothing to complain about," she said rather casually. Her tone and words only left the group in awe.

"Oh my gosh, speaking of, I heard people saying that Yunjin's your guide," Yeji spoke with a slight laugh, everyone laughing as well, finding the idea ironic. Kazuha watched as they smiled, inwardly rolling her eyes at the thought of having a guide. She could see why the teachers had thought so, given how Yunjin and her had walked into classes together - though that was plainly coincidental.

"Well, Yunjin's nice... right?" Chaewon spoke up, glancing at everyone for their thoughts before looking at Kazuha. As she asked, everyone nodded, saying their own comments on how polite the girl was - even if they didn't talk to her.

Kazuha only gave a slight nod, "Right.."

"She's actually cute, you know, with her little nerd look. I'm surprised she doesn't have a boyfriend," Sakura said, turning her head to glance toward Yunjin, everyone following suit. Kazuha's eyes narrowed, staring at Yunjin's group with a blank expression.

Yuna let out a little laugh, "She's basically impossible to dislike," watching as the girl and her group laughted at something Eunchae said. Soon, they all turned back.

"You know, I'm glad you think that because I was thinking on inviting them to sit here - well, specifically Aeri since she's their friend," Chaewon said, earning nods of approval from her group that obviously didn't mind.

"I think Jimin would love that," Jisu said, casting Jimin a knowing glance before being brushed off, earning a laugh from Yuna.

"Besides, we have plenty of space," Sakura hummed. It was true. Their table was huge, probably one of the bigger tables in the cafeteria and even now they had a lot of space left.

"This means we can be friends with them," Yizhou smiled, liking the idea of making new friends.

While they talked, only one person kept a blank face. She knew she didn't have the right to dislike the idea, since she's new... but she couldn't help it. She wasn't fond of new people and it had already taken enough effort to not be completely dismissive toward Chaewon's group but she knew she had to be nicer, so she stayed quiet, her mind silently reeling with thoughts of how her time would be spent with her now in a new country with new people.

So for now, she just sat quiet, eating her lunch peacefully... counting down the seconds until it was time for her next class.

[Wattpad
Written: June 5, 2025.
Published: June 5, 2025.]

[AO3
Published: November 27, 2025.]

Chapter Text

3rd Person

"Dude- are you even listening?"

Yunjin blinked and sat up straighter than she had been, turning to glance back in Minjeong's direction.

"Maybe she's thinking about how pretty Chaewon looked today," Ryujin piped in, making Aeri nod and Eunchae laugh while Chaeryeong shrugged and nodded along with the group.

Yunjin's brows furrowed as she side eyed her friends, "Stop it." Her friends knew she hated being teased, so they made it their thing to ragebait as best as they could.

"You know, if you don't make a move.. someone else will," Chaeryeong spoke up, her tone more serious than anyone else. The group quitened down a little and looked at Yunjin, waiting her response.

It took a few seconds before Yunjin spoke again, looking down at her laptop and fiddling with some keys.

"And? Everyone knows that. She's super pretty, and nice. Someone will clearly bag her soon enough," Yunjin agreed, eyes fixed on the laptop screen in front of her.

Her friends exchanged looks before sighing quietly. Ever since they had found out Yunjin had a thing for the Kim Chaewon, they made it their goal to help their friend out. Clearly... no avail. But they have tried. Befriending Chaewon's friends, subtly bringing up Yunjin around Chaewon, and of course Aeri's recent plus 1 stunt just the day before.

"Alright... don't act like you don't care," Eunchae sighed, slightly frustrated, "You have liked Chaewon since the beginning of sophomore year. Are you seriously not going to attempt to do anything to win her over??"

Yunjin's lips pursed into a thin line before she replied once more. "No."

"She can have anyone she wants, and besides, I don't like competition. She's not some object to be seen as a prize," Yunjin finished, shutting her laptop and looking at her friends yet again.

Minjeong groaned slightly, "That's not how we meant it, and you know it," She whined in frustration, burying her face in her hands. Ryujin patted the pale girl's shoulder and spoke up as well, "So what? Your crush on Chaewon is just a little crush that you don't ever want to pursue?"

"Exactly." Yunjin closed her eyes momentarily, "That's exactly what it is."

"I like her, she's an amazing girl but I'm nothing compared to what she can have, more so what she deserves—"

"So that's what this is about?" Aeri's brows furrowed. "You seriously don't think you're good enough? Don't say that." She said seriously, gripping Yunjin's shoulders tightly.

"Seriously. So how about you woman up and make a move on Chaewon?" Chaeryeong rose a brow, the group nodding in agreement.

Yunjin looked at each of her friends for a split second before slowly moving to put her laptop away into her backpack, standing up from her seat.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to chase after her. I like her, but I'm not that type of person. She chooses who she wants, and she definitely won't be choosing me. Thank you guys for the motivational talk though.. you guys are awesome," Yunjin gave a small smile to her friends, sighing slightly as she swung her backpack on.

"I also booked a study room for myself... which opens in about—" Yunjin stopped to look at her wrist for the time, "—6 or 7 minutes." She finished, waving her friends a hasty goodbye before walking away from their table and out the lecture hall.

Once out of sight from her friends, her smile dropped as she walked through the huge hallways of their school.

'Beginning of sophomore year.. yeah right.' She thought to herself. Truthfully, she wished she could be able to approach Chaewon and simply talk to the dang girl, but she was too high status - well, at least in school. To Yunjin, there was no way she would ever be able to bag Chaewon. Ever. Even if she sometimes imagined what it would be like to be with the girl, she already deemed it impossible. In her words: "She's Chaewon, and I'm nobody."

Clearly she was a bit insecure.. but she refused to acknowledge the fact. Especially her friends when they try to motivate her. The thought of never having the courage to reach Chaewon did upset her though, greatly.

Just as Yunjin was about to open the door to the study room she booked, her eyes narrowed as she spotted someone inside through the huge glass that was supposed to be the wall. Well, guess they served a purpose for admin to make sure nobody is getting frisky in them...

Yunjin couldn't see the person inside, only about a quarter of their side profile from the position they were sitting in. But because of the hair, the fact it was a girl was obvious enough.

Yunjin sighed, pushing away the slight nerves she felt at the thought of having to kick someone out and rose her wrist to knock on the door before slowly opening it and barely stepping a foot inside.

"Excuse me, this room is booked..." Yunjin's voice rang out in the study room.

The girl sat up straight, the sound of the pen that was being used to probably write notes or something stopping, and then the head turn came.

'Oh.'

"That's funny because I booked it," the very much familiar voice came.

Yunjin shifted as a response, swallowing the nervous lump in her throat. Were Japanese people usually this intimidating or something...?

Yunjin licked her lips and checked her watch yet again, "Well, sorry, but I booked this room from 4:30 to 6," She said, looking back to the Japanese girl, fighting the urge to just submit and leave her alone and go somewhere else.

The thing stopping her? The fact she liked this specific study room.

Kazuha stared at her blankly, not a thought behind those eyes before checking her phone. "Did you book another room?" She asked in the same bored tone that drives Yunjin nuts.

Yunjin exhaled quietly, almost tweaking out but managed to stay composed and shook her head somewhat, "No. I booked this room. 14-37."

Kazuha simply looked away and typed something into her laptop. Yunjin stared at her, seeing as she was being brushed off like nothing.

"Don't know what to say. I booked this room, and I'm using it," Kazuha spoke out, her voice slightly muffled as she resumed her previous position and picked her pen back up, the audible click going off as she took placed airpods into her ears.

Yunjin's brows furrowed, staring at the girl like she was being crazy. She sighed, sucking up her usual personality and approaching Kazuha, her hand reaching out and gently removing an airpod from her ear. In return, Kazuha turned her head and gave Yunjin a blank look, but Yunjin knew it was more a glare if anything.

"Then can I also use it? There's plenty of space for the both of us. Obviously, I won't bother you," Yunjin asked, already eyeing a spot at basically the other end of the huge, rounded table. Clearly, Yunjin never voiced her anger if she ever felt that way.

Kazuha almost rolled her eyes but her expression seemed a bit more surprised than disgusted.. like the usual.

"Sure," The Japanese replied in a dismissive tone, taking her airpod back from Yunjin's hand and putting it right back in its place, quickly zoning out Yunjin from her world and going back to her notes or whatever she was doing.

Yunjin simply looked away and sat at the other end of the table, grabbing her own set of headphones and doing the same thing as Kazuha, zoning the colder girl out while she focused on doing a bunch of her work so she could be free almost every afternoon.

So for the next few hours, Yunjin and Kazuha stayed silent. The only sounds heard in the room were Yunjin's typing on the keyboard and Kazuha's pen gliding across papers.

Bzzz bzzz

Yunjin picked up her phone from the table and looked at her screen.

"I thought you said you weren't going to bother me." Kazuha's serious tone spoke up, making Yunjin glance at her with furrowed brows. How sensitive was this girl...

Yunjin looked back to her phone, typing out a reply, unintentionally ignoring the Japanese. Once her text sent, she looked at Kazuha again, "It was just a buzz..." she muttered, greatly annoyed by Kazuha's attitude but kept the thought to herself.

"I don't care. It's annoying. I'm trying to study and you're interrupting that," Kazuha dismissed, eyeing down Yunjin like she wanted her to leave.

Yunjin stared back, almost mirroring her expression. It was somewhat surprising since Kazuha had got a read on the Korean's personality - she never would've guessed she'd even glare back, especially so coldly.

"Right." Yunjin barely nodded, packing her things. It had only been an hour they'd been in the same room, but Yunjin wasn't going to stick around - mostly because it was clear to her Kazuha disliked her... and because she had other things to do now.

Kazuha watched with a bored expression as Yunjin stood up, following her every move.

"Where are you going?" She asked, although her tone was heavily uninterested. Yunjin didn't reply and pushed in her chair, slipping her backpack on.

Kazuha sat up slightly, seeing as Yunjin was basically ignoring her instead. "Are you leaving because of me?" She asked again, watching Yunjin turn to look at her finally.

"No. I forgot I have tutoring," Yunjin replied, adjusting her frames and watching Kazuha's expression for any change but there was none.

Kazuha simply tilted her head to the side, "I thought you were smart." She said, a slight judgy tone taking over her words, looking Yunjin up and down like she would anyone that she thought to be stupid.

"What? No. I'm the tutor," Yunjin retorted, which to her, should've been obvious. But then again, Kazuha had transferred just yesterday.

In response, Kazuha barely nodded but then she asked another question. "Is it a girl?"

Yunjin's brows furrowed, asking herself why the questions were coming, and especially why it even mattered.

"I don't know, it's someone new. And why does that matter?" Yunjin asked. Kazuha just looked away and didn't bother replying. Seeing as she wasn't going to be answered, Yunjin turned back toward the door and stepped out of the study room, checking her phone to make sure she was going into the right room.

Reading the room number on one of the other study rooms, she sighed before knocking softly and stepping inside. She felt bad for forgetting she was tutoring, and especially more for being about an hour late. She was surprised the person was still waiting, anyone would've gone home.

"I'm really sorry for being late.." Yunjin spoke as she stepped in, closing the door behind her and stepping closer to the person. It was a girl, and as Yunjin looked closer she realized she looked extremely familiar.

"It's okay, I saw you hanging out with Kazuha," the girl spoke, turning her head to face Yunjin.

Oh my gosh

Yunjin's eyes widened almost instantly but she calmed herself down just as fast. "Oh yea," She nodded but then stopped herself.

"I mean, no, we weren't really hanging out. Something weird happened with the bookings and we just shared the room," Yunjin explained, shaking her head.

Chaewon just smiled slightly, "Right."

Yunjin looked away for a second before nodding, "We should just get started... where should I sit?" She asked, glancing around the many chairs. She was already eyeing the spot across from Chaewon, the more professional like choice.

"Beside me is alright. You won't have to reach across to teach me that way," Chaewon replied, motioning to the chair beside her own.

Yunjin was surprised but ended up complying, occupying said seat and pulling out her laptop. She felt nervous, being this close to Chaewon. This might be the first time the two have ever been this close. And its especially the first Chaewon has ever directly talked to Yunjin.

"Alright... let's start," Yunjin sighed to herself, doing her best to act natural. Because of her resting face, it was easy to act like she wasn't affected. Even more because of the distance she made sure to keep, making sure to stray away from acting awkward.

So for the time they spent together, Yunjin made sure to do as best as she could at teaching Chaewon the concepts she wasn't getting without being too strict, although she couldn't help but have the teacher aura while doing so.

In the end, the two parted ways an hour and a half later. Only then was Yunjin able to breathe properly, closing the door after Chaewon and watching as the latter walked away to who knows where.

"That was nerve-wracking.." Yunjin muttered to herself as she walked out of the building, feeling proud of herself for acting casual.

She sighed, getting into her car and starting it up, sitting in silence as she waited for it to warm up, her mind replaying scenes from the session which went surprisingly well. Once she snapped out of her trance, she put the car into gear and drove out the parking lot, heading home so she could finally rest... after chores and whatnot.

[Wattpad
Written: November 14, 2025.
Published: November 15, 2025.

A/N:
Sorry for the extremely slow update... I forgot about this account for the longest time ever 😬 but I'll try to do more updates if I figure out more stuff for the plot 🙏
Bear with me... bear with me 😞🥀

Stream Spaghetti!!!]

[AO3
Published: November 27, 2025.]