Chapter Text
There Miae was again, standing in front of Jisu’s hair salon. She’d ended up there after an argument with her mother. Her bangs had grown long enough to start bothering her eyes, and when her mother noticed her brushing them aside at breakfast, she decided to cut them herself. Miae barely managed to escape her hands and make it to the salon.
In her hand, she held 500 won from her allowance. She couldn’t be more grateful that Jisu’s mother charged so little.
To her surprise, the shop sign read CLOSED. Miae hesitated. There was movement inside. That was strange… Why would it be closed?
Still, she was already there, and going back home would mean surrendering to her mother’s scissors. So she timidly knocked on the door.
Jisu’s mother opened it.
— “Miae! Dear! Welcome! Jisu didn’t tell me he invited you—I’m so happy you’re here!”
Miae froze at the doorway.
Jisu invited her? She didn’t remember that at all. After Jisu’s mother gestured for her to come in, Miae stepped inside.
— “This will be the first time Jisu celebrates his birthday with a school friend. I couldn’t be happier. He’s upstairs—I’ll bring you something tasty later.”
Miae stood there, stunned. His birthday? He had never mentioned it.
She felt embarrassed—of all days, she had to come today. No wonder the shop was closed. It was a sign.
She’d assumed she might spend some time with Jisu after her haircut, but knowing it was his birthday made her uncomfortable. Mostly because… she hadn’t come for that. And she didn’t have a gift.
When she entered Jisu’s room, she saw him sitting on his bed, playing the guitar.
He stopped when he noticed her, clearly surprised. Miae gave him an awkward smile.
— “Why did you come?” — Jisu asked, setting the guitar on its stand.
Miae avoided his gaze, nervous. What was she supposed to say? That she came because it was his birthday? There was no way she could have known… and the truth felt even worse.
— “…For your birthday, of course,” — she said.
Her insecure expression betrayed her.
Jisu held his gaze, judging whether she was lying. Miae crumbled.
— “Okay. I came for a haircut. Then your mom let me in like I was a guest.”
— “Well… you do need a haircut,” he said casually.
That annoyed her.
— “I know. I don’t want to cut it just because you say so.”
He shrugged and looked away.
— “Okay. I’ll explain it to my mom. You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”
— “Wait, wait.”
Miae grabbed his shirt. She remembered what his mother had said—the first time he celebrates with a school friend.
Jisu raised an eyebrow.
— “I’m already here. Let’s have fun.”
He looked away.
— “It might still be awkward for you… maybe it’s better—”
— “It’s always awkward being with you!” Miae interrupted, giving him a thumbs-up.
Jisu looked mildly offended — “Besides, I already assumed I’d stay for a while and play with you.”
Jisu smiled faintly—something Miae didn’t notice.
— “So… what do you want to play?”
Miae’s eyes scanned the room until they lit up. On the shelf under the TV was a PlayStation. She rushed over.
— “Since when do you have a PlayStation?”
— “Uh… it was my gift.”
— “Did you try it already?”
— “Yeah, this morning.” He scratched his head. “We can play if you want.”
Miae nodded eagerly.
They started playing a fighting game. Miae lost several times.
Jisu’s mother came in with snacks. They kept playing. Miae kept losing.
Frustrated, she asked for a break.
— “That’s not fair. You have more experience.”
— “I literally got the game today. You’re just bad,” he said.
Miae tried to hit him, but he dodged every attempt.
— “Ugh, how can you be good at everything? You’re so annoying,” — she muttered.
Jisu raised his hands — “And you’re so smart, yet you get bad grades.”
— “I lack motivation…”
Miae felt a sting of anger.
— “Sure. Like when you got first place in the whole school. You just ‘lacked motivation.’”
She immediately went quiet. She shouldn’t have said that.
That “motivation” had been a bet with Cheol—to get the best grades—and Jisu had completely crushed them. But his reward, a wish, had never been granted.
Miae glanced at Jisu nervously, hoping he wouldn’t bring it up.
— “Right… that reminds me,” — Jisu said.
She was doomed. — “They never fulfilled my wish.”
— “You know that bet wasn’t fair,”— he shrugged.
— “It’s not my fault you two thought I was an idiot,” — he said casually, resting his face on his hand.
— “It was still cheating.”
He crossed his arms.
— “I didn’t cheat. I studied and won fair and square.”
Miae doubted he had even studied. His gaze remained firm.
She felt uncomfortable. It was his birthday—and she hadn’t brought anything.
She sighed.
— “Okay, okay. Just because it’s your birthday, I’ll grant your wish as a gift.”
Jisu tilted his head, looking at her.
— “It’s unfair that my gift is you keeping your word.”
She avoided his judging gaze.
— “Take it or leave it.”
He stayed quiet for a moment, thinking. When he finally spoke, Miae raised her hand to stop him.
— “Nothing expensive!”
He pushed her hand aside.
— “I want us to go out.”
— “Huh?”
Miae’s brain stalled. Then it caught up.
— “You want us to go on a date?!”
She physically stepped back like she’d been repelled.
She remembered his confession back in elementary school—something she’d tried not to think about.
What if he still liked her? After all these years?
Her heart raced.
Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.
“No! Of course not!”
— “I—I’m kind of involved with—” she started.
— “Not a romantic date,” — Jisu interrupted.
Miae tilted her head, confused. She’d gone from zero to a hundred—wasn’t he confessing?
— “I just want us to go out,” — he said firmly — “Friends can do that, right?”
His gaze was steady… almost pleading. Miae sighed. It was a relief—but also a problem. Being alone with Jisu outside? What would Cheol think if he saw them?
— “Where would you want to go?” — she asked cautiously. Maybe somewhere far away…
He shrugged.
— “Anywhere you want.”
Miae’s eyes lit up.
— “I know where!”
— “Where?”
— “The arcade!”
He snorted.
— “But you’re terrible at games.”
She tried to hit him again. He dodged.
— “Do you want to go out or not?”
He rolled his eyes, thought for a moment, then nodded.
— “Okay.”
He made an OK sign and extended his hand.
Miae high-fived him.
They explained the plan to Jisu’s mother, who couldn’t have been happier with the idea. The cake she had prepared could wait until dinner.
Before heading downtown, Miae stopped at a phone booth, using the excuse of calling her mother—which was true—but she had other plans as well.
Once they reached the city center, they wandered past store windows together. A record shop caught both of their attention.
Miae went straight to the section with her favorite boy band, while Jisu stopped in front of the Anglo rock section. That piqued her curiosity—she always saw him listening to music, but she had never known what kind.
While Jisu was listening to a record through the store headphones, Miae stepped up behind him.
— “What are you listening to?” she asked, tapping his shoulder.
Jisu turned around and met Miae’s expectant eyes. Avoiding her gaze, he took off one side of the headphones and placed it between them.
The distorted guitar and fast rhythm of the drums filled her ears. It was completely different from what she usually listened to—but it was exciting.
— “That’s interesting. I’ve never heard anything like this before,” she said, genuinely surprised.
Jisu didn’t reply, focusing instead on not letting a smile slip.
When they left the store, Miae stopped in front of an accessories shop window displaying different hair clips.
She searched for the apple-shaped clip Cheol had given her, but it wasn’t there. A clip could be a temporary solution for her bangs, which were already bothering her eyes.
Noticing her interest, Jisu went inside. Miae followed him, but she still couldn’t find a green apple clip.
Jisu approached her from behind.
— “Is it for your bangs?”
Startled by how close he was, Miae pushed him away with her arm.
— “Yeah… they bother me a bit.”
— “What are you looking for?”
— “A green apple.”
— “Huh… like the one you used to have?”
— “Yes! That one!”
Jisu went straight to the counter to ask, but the clerk said they were out of apple designs.
Hearing that, Miae’s shoulders drooped.
When Jisu returned, he showed her some clips he’d found—two different star designs. One was similar to the one she used to wear, but instead of an apple, it had a star and a moon. The other design had the entire clip shaped like stars.
Miae examined them curiously.
— “They’re cute.”
— “…I guess.”
She tried them on, using two clips to hold her bangs to the sides. The star-and-moon pair looked sweet. Then she tried the star-shaped ones—they suited her really well.
She posed a little in front of the mirror, then glanced at Jisu with a playful look.
He avoided her direct gaze, teeth clenched.
— “They look good… I think.”
Miae smiled.
She reached for her wallet—then realized she only had enough money for her original plans.
The clips would have to wait. She could just cut her bangs tomorrow. Yes… that was better.
She removed the clips, embarrassed.
Jisu watched her with curiosity.
— “You’re not buying them?”
— “No… I’m getting a haircut tomorrow anyway. Maybe I don’t need them.”
— “Hmm… won’t your bangs bother you at the arcade?”
— “Nah, I’ll manage.”
Miae put the clips back and left the store.
Outside, she noticed Jisu hadn’t followed her out immediately. That was strange. He didn’t take long, though.
When he came out, he handed her a small bag.
— “For me?”
— “Who else would it be for?” he replied flatly.
Receiving something from Jisu felt strange.
She opened the bag and found the star-shaped clips inside.
She grew uncomfortable.
— “I told you I’m cutting my hair tomorrow.”
— “Yeah… but your hair will bother you today. You should use them,” he said, yawning afterward.
It was his birthday—why was he giving her a gift?
She pushed away the intrusive thoughts and decided to wear them. He was right—they’d get in her way at the arcade. And they looked good on her.
Using the reflection in a shop window, Miae tried to put the clips on.
Jisu noticed one of them was crooked. Without asking, he stepped closer and fixed it.
Miae instinctively leaned back, but Jisu didn’t notice, focused on adjusting them so they were even.
When he finished, she checked her reflection and smiled.
— “Hehe, thanks.”
Jisu just shrugged, avoiding her eyes.
They continued walking through the city. They passed an ice cream shop—both were tempted—but Miae stubbornly refused. That wasn’t the goal of their outing.
As they walked, Miae kept glancing at Jisu. He looked calm.
It was strange—she didn’t understand why his wish had been to go out with her.
Was he even enjoying himself?
When they reached the arcade, Miae whispered:
— “I have a surprise for you.”
Jisu raised an intrigued eyebrow.
Inside, they spotted some classmates from cram school. Yonghee and Hongyun were playing Whack-a-Mole. Jungwook and Cheol were watching behind them.
When Miae and Jisu entered, the group turned to look.
— “Hii! Thanks for coming!”
They greeted them back.
Before they could get any closer, Jisu leaned down and whispered in Miae’s ear:
— “This wasn’t my wish.”
Miae flushed. This wasn’t the place to argue—especially not in front of everyone.
She elbowed him lightly and whispered back through clenched teeth:
— “I’ll fulfill it another time.”
That didn’t improve the judging look Jisu gave her.
— “Miae, Jisu—good to see you made it,” Jungwook said with a smile.
Yonghee turned around.
— “Those hair clips are cute! They look great on you. Did you buy them yourself?”
— “I—”
Jisu didn’t get to finish. Miae stomped on his foot to stop him.
— “Yup! I bought them myself.”
Cheol noticed the exchange. He glanced at the clips, remembering he still had the one he’d given her.
— “Didn’t expect this outing, Mani. Is it really his birthday?” Hongyun asked while still playing.
— “…Yeah,” Jisu answered, slightly annoyed.
Miae sensed the tension between them—they still didn’t get along.
The whole point of this surprise was to integrate Jisu into the group.
She looked at Jungwook nervously. He was perceptive and immediately understood.
— “How about we play in teams?”
— “Huh?? I’m fine with that as long as I’m not with that idiot,” Hongyun said, pointing at Jisu.
— “Bold words, coming from someone whose scores are always lower than mine,” Jisu replied calmly.
— “Say that again—”
Before it escalated, Jungwook and Miae stepped between them.
— “Easy, easy. I think it’d be best if we changed teams every game.”
That caught everyone’s attention.
— “Huh? Then how do we decide who wins if teams keep changing?” Hongyun asked, confused.
— “What if team points count as individual points?” Jungwook suggested.
— “Whoever wins the most with their teams overall is the winner.”
— “Then why not just play individually?” Cheol asked.
Jungwook smiled.
— “Because team games are more fun.”
Miae felt satisfied. It was perfect—everyone would be forced to cooperate.
— “Sounds gooood!” Miae smiled.
— “Yeah, sounds fun,” Yonghee agreed.
— “And how are the teams decided?” Hongyun asked carefully.
— “If you’re okay with it, I’ll form the teams,” Jungwook replied calmly.