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Today is a day of extreme importance for the students at Sayeon’s school: Valentine’s Day. While it matters a lot to them, to her it is just another ordinary day. They would go to class, eat lunch, and sure, there would be a small commotion over gifts and confession letters, which she considered unnecessary and a waste of time. And don’t judge her wrong, she isn’t against romance, she even watches a few movies sometimes. Sayeon just doesn’t understand why it seems so important to some people to receive a letter or a cheap box of chocolate.
Something bumps into her shoulder, something solid and strong, and that something lets out a sharp laugh, the kind that makes Sayeon frown and wonder what could possibly be so funny.
“Ready for today?” the voice says in an excited tone that, at this hour, could only belong to one person.
“Jaeil.” She lightly bumps him back, and his smile widens. “I already told you not to come to my house.”
“Ouch. Sayeon Lee is so cold and rude.”
She knows he’s being dramatic and even tries to pretend she’s upset by speeding up her pace, but she can’t hide the smile she’s trying to hold back.
“I don’t have time for nonsense like that.”
Jaeil is right behind her, letting out a thoughtful hmm before catching up to her. “You know what I think about that, right?”
She scoffs and ignores the question. There was no way she wouldn’t know when Jaeil was always in her ear whenever she was focused on studying.
“I do, and even so, my opinion is still the same.”
“So boring.” He kicks a small rock, pouting, but soon smiles again as he moves closer to Sayeon, close enough to invade her personal space, slipping an arm around her shoulders. “Even if you’re stubborn, try to relax a little today, okay? Who knows, you might end up getting a little love letter.”
Sayeon stares at him expressionlessly for a moment, as if analyzing the situation, and then her face twists into an almost offended grimace. “Stop messing around. You know that would never happen.”
“What? Don’t doubt yourself, Sayeon. That doesn’t suit you!”
She rolls her eyes with a smile. “Even if it does happen, I won’t care, Jaeil. I have other priorities.”
Like studying for the next exam, which would be on Monday, and today is Friday. Two days are far too little to review all the material. Jaeil scoffs and steps away, brown eyes lighting up when he spots Jungwoo in the distance.
“I’ll see you later at lunch,” he says, running toward his friend, not sharing the same worry she has.
I bet he’ll get a lot of Valentine’s Day presents today.
It wasn’t jealousy. No. Far from that. It was just discomfort and concern about the way her friend lived his life as if nothing mattered—
“You’d better close your mouth, Glasses. You’re drooling,” a voice rough with sleep but still strong says, making Sayeon jump where she stands.
“God. You scared me.”
“Yeah,” Ryujin sighs, and now that Sayeon is looking at her, she can see that beneath the sleepiness there is obvious exhaustion. “When are you going to tell him?”
“What?”
Ryujin rolls her eyes. “Today is the perfect day to confess.”
She starts walking ahead as if expecting Sayeon to follow, and that’s exactly what she does.
“What? No,” her cheeks burn red. “You think I like him?”
She gives her an incredulous look. “You don’t?”
“Yes. I mean, no,” Sayeon sighs, rubbing the back of her neck. “Not like that. We’re just friends.”
Ryujin falls silent after that answer, and it stretches long enough for Sayeon’s thoughts to drift somewhere else.
She had already considered that possibility. The doubt about whether she liked her best friend or if she was just confusing things. Feelings had never been Sayeon’s strong suit, especially when it came to the romantic side. She understood and saw the beauty in that kind of connection, but to her it felt like an unreachable idea, both because of her goals and simply because she was herself.
No one in the past eighteen years had ever approached her with that intention. Sayeon understood that it might be because she was closed off and focused on her studies, but at the same time, that didn’t feel like a plausible reason. Take Min, for example. He’s serious, much more serious than Sayeon will ever be, and closed off. Even so, he receives confessions from girls asking him out on a daily basis.
Maybe it has something to do with gender?
“You’re overthinking, Glasses.”
“Hm?”
“Seriously, you don’t need to lie to me about this,” her voice carried a hint of hurt that Sayeon had learned to recognize. “It’s not like I’d go around telling people.”
“Oh, I wasn’t thinking about that—”
“Ryujin!” a melodic voice exclaimed. They turned in its direction and saw Jiwon. Something inside Sayeon twisted with unease. “I finally found you. I need your help right now—Ah!” She turned toward Sayeon, a sweet smile on her lips. “Hi, Sayeon. Um. I like your skirt today.”
It was the same skirt she wore every day—and one that Jiwon also wore an identical version of.
“Thanks. I guess?”
Jiwon turned back to Ryujin, hooking her arm through hers.
“I’m gonna steal her from you for a bit.”
“Fine.”
Ryujin looked at her in a strange way, almost apologetic. “Yeah, I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah.”
She watched the two of them walk away, whispering about something, and that unease grew into discomfort. Sayeon didn’t understand what that tight feeling in the middle of her chest was, or why it had been becoming more frequent over the past few weeks. The only thing she had noticed was that it appeared whenever it involved Ryujin. Not that she had stopped to analyze it deeply, she was more concerned about what would be on the next exam.
And it wouldn’t be any different now. She took a deep breath and walked with steady steps into the school, greeted by the tacky decorations of big hearts and even bigger letters wishing a happy Valentine’s Day. Sayeon scoffed and went straight to her locker to put away some books and grab others.
She opened the lock with the code 181103 and, unsurprisingly, didn’t find any letter or candy inside. Not that she expected anything else. The book swap was quick, and soon she headed toward her classroom, or tried to, since there were so many people in the way. Some of them didn’t even bother to hide that they were going to slip letters into other people’s lockers.
If only they had that same dedication to studying.
Her eyes widened when she saw Tsubaki holding a letter in her hands. She looked the same as always: shy, unsure of what to do, but in that moment her eyes shone with determination, even though her fear was evident.
Oh. So that’s what love does to people.
Sayeon decided to watch a little longer, hiding so the other girl wouldn’t notice her, heart racing in anticipation and silently rooting for Tsubaki to manage to slip the letter in without anyone noticing. She watched her walk between the lockers, wary of someone looking at her, but when she realized people were more focused on themselves, she moved more confidently toward a locker that, curiously, was on the same side as Sayeon’s.
Could it be? No. No way.
There was no way Tsubaki was walking toward her locker, right? They weren’t even close, and Sayeon doesn’t even like girls. Well, she had never really thought about it. She thinks she doesn’t like girls. Sure, girls are prettier and try harder in school than boys, forget Ryujin. They’re more interesting to talk to and more pleasant to be around too. But that doesn’t mean she’s romantically attracted to them. Right?
Even if she were romantically attracted to girls, Tsubaki wasn’t her type. She was too cute, and not that being cute is a problem, she spoke softly and was always glued to Dahee. There was no way Sayeon would accept her future-hypothetical-girlfriend clinging to another girl like that. That sour feeling comes back when she remembers Jiwon clinging to Ryujin. Especially that.
She preferred a girl who was firmer in her decisions, someone independent, someone who wasn’t afraid to talk back to her. Someone with more attitude, like- Ryujin.
What am I even thinking?
Sayeon shakes her head, brushing those thoughts away, feeling her cheeks heat up. What kind of thoughts are these? It’s definitely because of this pathetic day. Her blue eyes scan the crowd for Tsubaki, not finding a single trace of her.
“Damn it. I lost sight of her.”
“Her who?”
Sayeon startles for the third time that day, hand flying to her chest. “Not again.”
“Not again what?”
This time it was Iseul, head tilted to the side in confusion.
“Nothing. I just thought I saw something interesting.”
“Oh, really? You were standing there like some detective searching for evidence. It was actually kind of funny.” He laughed at the end, mimicking the way Sayeon had been trying to hide.
Sayeon felt even more embarrassed and cleared her throat, trying to change the subject. “Haha. Where’s Min?”
Iseul’s expression shifted into a small annoyed pout. “He’s trying to deal with his fans.”
Sayeon raised an eyebrow, not impressed. “A lot of letters?”
“And chocolates! I’ve never seen so many boxes of chocolate in my life in a single locker.”
She laughed and checked the time on her wristwatch. “And it’s still early in the day. We’d better head to class before Mrs. Sang sends us to the principal’s office.”
Iseul visibly shuddered and linked his arm with hers, guiding her toward the classroom.
“Don’t even remind me, I still have nightmares about that.”
Sayeon laughed at his reaction and followed along. On the way, they made a bet: a trip to the aquarium for whoever guessed who would receive more presents by the end of the day; Jaeil or Min. Iseul thought about it for a moment and voted for Min, and Sayeon, obviously, chose Jaeil.
Lunchtime didn’t take long to arrive. The day was passing quickly, and the students couldn’t talk about anything other than the damn Valentine’s Day presents. It was annoying and even a little pathetic, but Sayeon powered through her classes, and when the bell rang, she made sure to disappear from the room as fast as possible and head to the cafeteria.
She walked to the spot where she and her friends had agreed to eat, carrying her lunchbox with the food Samin had prepared. Normally she wouldn’t have accepted the food, for the sake of her pride, but she had forgotten to prepare anything that day, and since Jaeil always said, "If you’re going to stuff your brain, stuff your stomach first." It was silly, but it encouraged her not to forget to eat.
As she got closer, she noticed that the only person there was Ryujin. Instinctively, Sayeon slowed her steps and had the urge to turn around and go look for the others.
“Glasses.”
But it was already too late.
“Um. Hi, Ryujin,” she greeted with a forced smile and sat across from her, opening her lunchbox and taking out what she had brought; six kimbap rolls and some cookies.
The look Ryujin gave her was intense, and Sayeon had no doubt that she had noticed her urge to leave.
She focused on eating a kimbap and hadn’t even taken two bites before a strawberry milk was set in front of her. Sayeon looked up and met Ryujin’s stubborn expression staring back at her.
“You always forget to bring one.”
Sayeon swallowed her food, mouth opening to argue that she had brought one, only to realize she hadn’t. It would be embarrassing to argue now, right? The strawberry milk that had been offered to her was highly sought-after in the cafeteria, and there were only two ways to get it: leaving class early, meaning; pretending to go to the bathroom to buy one, or bringing it from home. Both options caused an inexplicable sensation that made the hairs on Sayeon’s arms stand up.
“Thank you—”
“You don’t have to take it if you don’t want to.”
They spoke at the same time.
Ryujin stared at her, and Sayeon couldn’t hold back a laugh.
“No. I insist on thanking you,” her fingers brushed against the milk, a softer smile appearing now. “It’s hard to get one of these on a day like this. It seems like strawberry milk is a Valentine’s Day gift trend.”
Ryujin choked, and Sayeon had no idea on what, since she wasn’t eating anything. “Are you okay?” She looked at her with concern, catching sight of flushed cheeks.
“Yeah,” she coughs.
Sayeon didn’t really believe that answer, but as she opened her little carton of strawberry milk, she decided to change the subject. “Speaking of that. Did you get any letters today?”
“No,” her face twisted into a grimace. “What about you?”
“Me neither. Not that I care about that. Exams are coming up, that’s what worries me.” She takes a sip of her milk, and Ryujin stares at her like she’s baffled. “What?”
“Is that really all that goes on in your head? You’ve never—never thought about, you know, this whole dating thing and stuff?”
“It’s not that I never think about it, it’s just not my priority,” Sayeon says, unconsciously placing one of her cookies onto Ryujin’s tray. “Why? Did you finally get interested in that kind of thing?”
Something inside Sayeon tightened in anticipation. Ever since childhood, Ryujin had never shown interest in romance. Her attention was completely focused on arcade games, convenience store junk, and piano. She had also never seen any boy approach her with the intention of asking her out. That was something she had in common with Sayeon.
“What do you mean, finally?”
“Well, I’ve never seen you show interest in romance or in boys.”
Sayeon noticed the moment Ryujin’s expression closed off.
“I’ve never seen you either, Glasses,” she said defensively, and Sayeon grew even more confused when Ryujin added, “And what’s the problem if I don’t like boys?”
Sayeon stopped chewing, swallowing the rest of her food. Right, Ryujin seemed upset, but she didn’t know what she had done wrong to cause that reaction.
“Nothing,” something clicked in her mind, and an unpleasant sensation crawled over her skin. “Uh, has any girl confessed to you today?”
Ryujin fell silent after the question. She looked just as surprised as Sayeon felt for having asked it.
Why had she even opened her mouth?
Then, like an angel, the image of Tsubaki flashed through Sayeon’s mind. That was it. It wasn’t about the big, strange curiosity over whether some girl Jiwon had confessed to Ryujin, but about what she had seen earlier.
“No.”
“Me neither,” she laughed awkwardly. “I think.”
Ryujin’s expression was a mix of confusion and distress.
“You think?”
“Yeah, um, it’s just that,” Sayeon glances around before leaning forward and speaking in a low voice. “I saw Tsubaki with a confession letter heading toward my locker.”
Ryujin went stiff where she sat, brows furrowing in disbelief. A crooked smile slowly started to form as something clicked in her head.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes!”
It’s obvious now that Ryujin is holding herself back from laughing in Sayeon’s face. “You’re telling me you saw Tsubaki Sumishiro putting a confession letter in your locker?”
“I didn’t see her actually put it in, but she was heading that way. I got distracted for a moment and lost sight of her.”
Distracted by the possibility that I might like girls, she thought, and immediately felt her cheeks heat up.
“So it’s just speculation.”
“What? No! I’m sure she was going toward my locker.”
Ryujin’s smile widens.
“Okay. Let’s say she really was heading that way, what guarantees that she didn’t put it in the locker next to yours?”
Sayeon’s mind short-circuited. It was a good argument. One that, if true, made Sayeon look conceited.
“Well… screw it. You’re right.”
“I knew your ego was big, but not that big, Glasses.”
Embarrassment burned across Sayeon’s face, and she didn’t even have an argument to fight back. Why had she thought Tsubaki liked her? They weren’t even close! Did it have something to do with Tsubaki herself? Or with the possibility of someone, a girl, confessing to her on Valentine’s Day?
“And here we go again. You and your overthinking.”
Blue eyes followed as Ryujin stood up, packing away the cookies, clearly intending to leave.
“Where are you going?”
“What? Don’t I have the right to come and go?”
Sayeon didn’t find it funny at all. She felt attacked by the harsh reality.
“I’m kidding, Glasses. I need to go over there,” Ryujin scratched the back of her neck. “But meet me in music class later, okay?”
Ryujin smiled, without smugness or irony, and walked away without waiting for her answer. Sayeon’s heart skipped a few beats at the sight, and she brought a hand to her chest, worried that she might have some kind of illness.
“I should stop by the infirmary,” she muttered.
Classes passed slowly this time.
Sayeon’s mind wouldn’t stay still, constantly imagining what exactly Ryujin wanted to talk to her about.
Her blue eyes couldn’t look away from Ryujin’s back during class, staring fixedly. Jaeil even asked if the two of them had fought again, which startled her. That was the level of focus she had on her. Her gaze must have practically burned through Ryujin because, at a certain point, she turned around in Sayeon’s direction and stuck out her tongue, catching Sayeon by surprise.
It was silly.
And Ryujin looked so beautiful when she laughed at Sayeon’s reaction afterward that she didn’t really care when Jaeil, who had been watching the whole scene, started teasing her.
She dodged the subject by asking how many presents he had gotten that day. Jaeil made a face, seeming to count mentally, and when he reached a conclusion, he broke into a proud smile as he said: seventeen.
So predictable.
Well, now she just had to find Iseul to find out how many presents Min had gotten.
When the sun painted the clouds orange, they were dismissed. The students’ energy was high, and many were openly smiling, possessed by the spirit of Valentine’s Day.
Jaeil unwrapped yet another lollipop from the many he had received and said goodbye to Sayeon when he spotted Jungwoo. She took her time packing her things, palms sweating with anticipation. Sayeon looked around at the few people still left, not finding Ryujin anywhere. She had been one of the first to leave.
Sayeon took a deep breath and slung her bag over her shoulder, walking toward the music room. On the way there, she watched through the windows as students went home with the happiness of people who thought it was the last day of school.
She stopped in front of the music room door, hesitating for a moment before gathering the courage to open it. The scene revealed to Sayeon was Ryujin sitting at the piano, fingers moving across the keys, her bag tossed on the floor while sunlight streamed through the window, bathing her face in a divine golden glow. Sayeon forgot to breathe for a few seconds before Ryujin stopped playing and turned toward her; her furrowed brows softening when she realized it was Sayeon standing there.
Her heart started racing.
“Hey.”
“Come in and close the door,” Ryujin replied, shifting on the bench.
Sayeon closed the door and walked over to Ryujin’s bag on the floor, placing her own beside it. Then she went to Ryujin, sitting in the empty space the other girl had made for her.
“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Sayeon asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
She looked away, staring at the piano keys. “A song,” Ryujin cleared her throat. “Remember that song I told you I was composing?”
“The one you won’t let anyone hear?”
Sayeon remembers very well how Ryujin’s eyes had shone whenever she talked about the song, yet she always refused to show it to her friends. She had been quite curious and had tried to convince her to share it, but Ryujin was stubborn whenever she decided she wouldn’t talk about something.
She feels excitement rush through her at the possibility that this might be the moment she finally gets to hear it.
Ryujin smiles, pressing a random key. “That one.”
Sayeon’s eyes light up at the confirmation. She straightens on the bench, her shoulder brushing against Ryujin’s.
“So does that mean I’ll have the honor of being the first to hear your song?”
She lifts her head, looking at Sayeon with the urgency of someone holding back a secret. And Sayeon couldn’t explain what she was feeling in that moment, which was ironic for the class’s top student. Sitting there shoulder to shoulder with Ryujin felt like a spell had been cast on her, because she couldn’t, and didn’t want to, look away from her even for a second. Looking closely, she realized: Ryujin’s eyes looked like two hypnotizing spirals. Her cheeks were full and looked soft to the touch, with a small bandage from a recent injury. Her lips—
“Don’t say fucking weird things like that out of nowhere, you weirdo,” her cheeks were a lovely shade of scarlet.
Sayeon swallowed hard.
“Wait. So I really am the first one to hear it?”
Even before Ryujin answered, Sayeon knew she was, and that information made her entire skin warm in a very good way. Her smile widened, pressing her shoulder against Ryujin’s. “Am I?”
“Yeah, Lee. Fuck. Don’t feel that special.”
“How could I not?”
“Okay. Now shut up and listen.”
Sayeon laughed at that, but nodded, waiting.
Ryujin played a few random notes before truly starting. The first notes were fast, then they slowed down, only for Ryujin’s fingers to speed up again, sounding like a roller coaster of melodies. Sayeon didn’t take her eyes off Ryujin’s face, enchanted by how focused she looked while playing. With how close they were, she could smell her; the scent of black cherry was strong, filling Sayeon’s lungs pleasantly, with a hint of bitter almond at the end. She wanted more. To bury her nose against Ryujin’s neck, where all of that scent seemed to come from—
The notes became fragile, slow, as if they were hesitating to tell something. Sayeon’s entire body prickled when those spiral eyes looked at her while she kept playing. Sayeon’s lips felt dry, and she licked them, feeling a thirst she was sure water wouldn’t satisfy.
Ryujin smiled at whatever she had seen on Sayeon’s face and went back to looking at the keys, and only then did the air come more easily.
Sayeon’s hands tingled with the urge to touch something–to touch Ryujin. It was irrational, and she couldn’t understand why.
What did this mean about her?
That restless feeling, that desire to be closer. It was undeniable that Ryujin was beautiful. The kind of beauty people would want to see up close, but few would ever get the chance. And Sayeon wanted that chance. To be the person Ryujin would allow to get close, to have exclusive privileges, to be the only one who understood everything about her.
That relentless pulsing was too much; she didn’t know what to do, and in the middle of so many thoughts, Sayeon chose to gently rest her head on Ryujin’s shoulder. Eyes closed, thoughts racing, and Ryujin’s scent acting like a calming agent. The corners of her eyes burned as her whole body melted easily against the bench. As if this was exactly what she needed to quiet all that chaos inside her.
Ryujin played the last note twice before stopping. She knew she should lift her head and congratulate Ryujin for the masterpiece she had been gifted, but Sayeon couldn’t. Her limbs felt heavy, and the certainty that tears would fall if she opened her eyes convinced her to stay like that a little longer.
The silence stretched on.
The only sounds were Sayeon’s heartbeat and the two of them breathing. Little by little, she calmed down, and that burning sensation faded until Sayeon was sure that if she opened her eyes, no tears would fall.
“Did you like it?,” Ryujin asked in a low voice.
“Yes. I did,” she sighed. “I liked it a lot. You have talent for this.”
“…you really think so?” she said uncertainly.
Sayeon lifted her head, immediately missing the comfort of the other girl’s shoulder, and looked into her eyes. Ryujin’s expression was expectant and hesitant at the same time.
“Yes. I mean, I’m not really into music, but yours made me feel like life is worth living,” something flickered in Ryujin’s eyes, surprised. Sayeon felt encouraged by the reaction and continued. “And that’s good, right? It’s like you have magical fingers.”
Sayeon made a cheap imitation with her fingers of how Ryujin had been playing. It pulled a contagious laugh from her that filled the entire room. That sound sent a flutter through Sayeon’s stomach. She was enchanted by the way Ryujin’s face lit up, eyes crinkling and cute little lines forming around them. She wanted to say more stupid things just to see that scene again.
“You don’t have to lie, Glasses,” the smile was still there.
“I’m not lying. I’m being completely serious here.”
They looked at each other for a long moment until Ryujin looked away, clearing her throat.
“I need to tell you something.”
The smile was gone, which was a shame, because Sayeon thought she looked so cute like that.
“Okay. Go ahead.”
Sayeon noticed the moment Ryujin’s shoulders tensed. Whatever she was about to say was important enough to make her hesitate.
“That song—um,” she took a deep breath and looked at Sayeon. “I wrote it thinking about you.”
“What—”
“No. Don’t fucking say anything right now. Let me finish before I lose my courage. I wrote this song a few months ago, seven, to be exact. I never wanted to show it to anyone else because it was something very intimate, and also because it wasn’t meant for other people to hear. It was always a song for you to listen to.”
Sayeon froze on the bench.
A song for her?
Like a gift from one friend to another?
“Even now I don’t know if what I’m doing is the right thing. Showing you… you helped me a lot when I needed it,” she let out an awkward laugh. “When my mom decided she didn’t want to be a mom anymore, you were the one who held my hand and offered me that stuffed bunny for the day, saying everything would be okay.”
She still remembered that?
“That meant a lot to me,” she said softly, fidgeting awkwardly with her fingers. “And after that, you always made sure to check if I was okay. Not only that, you bothered me about my studies,” Ryujin rolled her eyes, but there was an affectionate smile on her lips. “Thanks to that, I didn’t do so badly in school. So… thank you.”
Sayeon’s cheeks warmed. She hadn’t known that coming to this room would lead to a conversation like this. She had never been good with feelings.
Sayeon cleared her throat. “You don’t need to thank me. That’s what friends are for,” she brought her hand to Ryujin’s, squeezing it gently. Spiral eyes looked down at their joined hands with a slight frown.
“That’s the damn problem.”
“What?”
“Friendship,” Sayeon felt Ryujin tighten her grip on her hand. “I realized that what I feel for you goes beyond that. It’s not—just friendship. I caught myself wanting more than that. Which is stupid because you’re probably straight and in love with Jaeil—”
Sayeon’s mind shut down at the part where Ryujin said it wasn’t just friendship. “You like me?”
“I—fuck it. Yeah.”
She felt Ryujin trying to pull her hand away, but she squeezed it again. “Like… romantically?”
Ryujin looked completely embarrassed at that moment, and knowing her, she was holding herself back from standing up and walking away.
“Yes, Lee. The kind where I’d give you strawberry milk on Valentine’s Day.”
Oh.
So that was a Valentine’s Day gift, and now a confession after school?
Oh.
Suddenly, all those strange feelings she had been experiencing throughout the day made sense. What she had felt that morning was jealousy, and earlier what she had been feeling was physical attraction and the desire to kiss her.
Sayeon sighed against her lips before pulling away.
“I like you too.”
They were way too close, Sayeon could feel Ryujin’s strawberry-scented breath and see the way her eyes seemed to search for the truth in those words. When she reached the conclusion that it was real, she pressed a quick peck to Sayeon’s lips.
“Thank Fucking God. I wouldn’t have known how to act tomorrow—”
The door burst open, not giving them time to move apart. Iseul looked excited, but when he saw the scene, he screamed and covered his eyes.
“Oh my God. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt your moment. Min told me he saw Sayeon coming this way and I thought, damn. I ruined everything, didn’t I?”
Ryujin and Sayeon looked at each other and burst out laughing at his reaction.
“No.”
“Relax, man. We had kind of already finished kissing,” Ryujin says proudly, and Sayeon can’t resist the impulse to kiss her on the cheek.
“That’s not what it looked like when I walked in,” he opens one finger to peek at them, sighing in relief before letting his hands fall.
“Do you have something to say?” Ryujin asked, casually resting her hand on Sayeon’s waist.
“Oh! Right. Sayeon. How many gifts did Jaeil get?” His brown eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Sayeon tilted her head slightly, still lost in Ryujin’s warmth and scent. “Seventeen.”
“What? That many?”
“Why? How many did Min get?”
Iseul pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering something like "I told him he should be more sociable," before answering reluctantly. “Eleven.”
The answer pleased Sayeon so much that she wrapped her arms around Ryujin and squeezed her in celebration. Ryujin didn’t quite understand, but hugged her back anyway.
“What’s that about?”
“Oh no,” Iseul said.
“Oh yes. You now owe me a trip to the aquarium. No—two trips.” She pulled back to look into Ryujin’s eyes. “Do you want to go to the aquarium with me?”
Ryujin blinked twice before nodding. “Yeah?”
“Great. I’ve got an aquarium date. And you, Iseul?”
It was childish, but the happiness on Sayeon’s face was undeniable.
“Urgh. I hate Valentine’s Day,” he said before leaving the room, probably going after Min.
The two of them laughed at the scene and traded a few more kisses for a while.
When they stopped, Sayeon rested her head against Ryujin’s chest, humming a melody and listening to her heartbeat while feeling Ryujin’s fingers gently playing with her hair.
“Well, I love Valentine’s Day.”
“Shut up, Glasses.”
And from that Valentine’s Day on, Sayeon celebrated every single one without fail.